The father of the man accused of gunning down two Jewish people on a street in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night attended President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress in March as a far-left Democratic lawmaker’s special guest.
Democratic Illinois Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a member of the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus, invited Eric Rodriguez, a former Iraq War Army veteran and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) hospital employee, to attend president’s speech to Congress on March 3. The VA worker’s son, Elias Rodriguez, fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers outside of an event promoting Jewish heritage just miles from the U.S. Capitol, less than three months later. (RELATED: Two Israeli Embassy Staff Killed In DC Near Jewish Museum, Suspect Shouted ‘Free Palestine’)
“Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress, but we don’t know his family,” a spokesperson for García told the New York Post, who first reported the connection to García, Thursday evening.
García said in a March 3 statement that he invited Rodriguez to attend the president’s address in an act of protest against the Department of Government Efficiency’s reforms to the VA. The Illinois Democrat also heralded the terrorist’s father as “the very best of our community” and an “outspoken advocate against attacks on veterans’ services and the rights of unionized federal employees.”
Chicago mayoral candidate Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia greets commuters at an ‘L’ station on February 21, 2023. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“His presence at the Joint Address is a powerful statement: we will not sit back while veterans and workers are treated as political pawns,” García said in a statement before the president’s speech to Congress. “With leaders like Eric and the power of our unions, we’re fighting back stronger than ever.”
Rodriguez, a member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), also appeared in a video posted to the massive labor union’s Facebook account on March 4.
“I’ve been with the VA for three years and the reason I’m in Washington, D.C. is because I’m concerned about what Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE are doing to the VA system.”
An SEIU-aligned Instagram account also referred to Rodriguez as García’s “special guest” at the president’s joint address.
Authorities charged Rodriguez’s son, Elias, with two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, including the murder of foreign officials, after he executed Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, who was 30 according to multiple reports, — a soon-to-be-engaged couple — outside of the Capitol Jewish Museum.
Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the terror suspect may face the death penalty during a press conference Thursday.
“I strongly condemn this horrible, senseless act of antisemitism,” García said in a statement following the fatal shooting. “My heart is with the victims and everyone impacted by the attack. We mourn the lives lost and reject the idea that justice can be won through violence.”
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