The father of the terror suspect accused of gunning down two soon-to-be-engaged Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum was honored by a far-left member of Congress with an invitation to President Trump’s joint address this past March, The Post has exclusively learned.
“Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress, but we don’t know his family,” a spokesperson for Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) told The Post Thursday night.
In March, he hailed Rodriguez as “an outspoken advocate against attacks on veterans’ services and the rights of unionized federal employees.”
Eric Rodriguez, father of suspected terrorist Elias, with Chicago Congressman Chuy Garcia in March. Instagram/@seiuhcii“Eric represents the very best of our community — someone who has served his country, continues to serve his fellow veterans and fights every day to protect the dignity of working people,” the congressman said in a statement at the time.
“His presence at the Joint Address is a powerful statement: we will not sit back while veterans and workers are treated as political pawns.”
Rodriguez also appeared in a Service Employees International Union video that same day, and said he was an Iraq War vet and an employee with the Veterans Affairs Department, the New York Times reported.
“I’ve been with the VA for three years, and the reason why I’m in Washington, DC, is because I’m concerned about what Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE are doing to the VA system.”
On Thursday, Rodriguez’s son, Elias, was charged in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder and other charges in the cold-blooded slayings of Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, as the Israeli Embassy employees left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
Elias Rodriguez is arrested by police after the shooting in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025. Katie Kalisher via Storyful
Israeli Embassy staffers Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were killed in the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum. via REUTERSThe accused killer from Chicago shouted, “Free, free Palestine” as he was taken into custody after allegedly opening fire, unleashing nearly two dozen rounds on the couple, who were on the verge of getting engaged in Jerusalem.
Milgrim attempted to crawl away after collapsing on the ground, according to sources and court documents.
Follow The Post’s coverage on Israeli Embassy staffers killed in DC
- Israeli Embassy staffers ID’d as couple fatally shot by terrorist who yelled ‘Free, free Palestine’ near DC’s Capital Jewish Museum
- How left-wing Chicago social justice warrior Elias Rodriguez allegedly became homegrown anti-Israel terrorist
- Slain Israeli Embassy staffer Sarah Milgrim spoke out over antisemitic messages at high school 8 years before fatal shooting
- DC Jewish Museum shooting victim Yaron Lischinsky’s body to be returned to Israel Friday
- Twisted cryptocurrency launches in tribute of suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez
A worker at a shop near Eric Rodriguez’s Chicago home confirmed he approached the clerk, asking for a translation of an Arabic-language article about his son and the shooting on Thursday.
Eric Rodriguez poses for a photo outside the US Capitol during a trip to DC in March 2025. SEIU Healthcare
Elias Rodriguez appears in US District Court, where he was charged with first-degree murder on May 22, 2025. via REUTERS“I strongly condemn this horrible, senseless act of antisemitism. My heart is with the victims and everyone impacted by the attack,” García wrote on X earlier in the day.
“We mourn the lives lost and reject the idea that justice can be won through violence.”
Multiple attempts to reach Eric Rodriguez were unsuccessful Thursday.
