{"id":91225,"date":"2026-01-18T10:59:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T15:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=91225"},"modified":"2026-01-20T07:55:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:55:59","slug":"pam-bondi-well-pursue-death-penalty-against-killer-of-israeli-embassy-staffers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/pam-bondi-well-pursue-death-penalty-against-killer-of-israeli-embassy-staffers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pam Bondi: \u2018We\u2019ll pursue death penalty against killer of Israeli embassy staffers\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By DAVID ISSAC<\/p>\n<p>(<em>JNS.org<\/em><span class=\"light-weight-content\">) \u2013&nbsp;<\/span>The United States will pursue the death penalty against the suspect in last May\u2019s killing of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaking at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Fla. on Jan. 16.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91226\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91226\" class=\"wp-image-91226 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-300x200.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1.webp 1320w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91226\" class=\"wp-image-91226 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-300x200.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pam-Bondi-1320x880-1.webp 1320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-91226\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaking at the annual Israeli-American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Fla., Jan. 16, 2026. Credit: IAC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe will not tolerate that in our country any longer. We are prosecuting the monster, and we will seek the death penalty,\u201d Bondi told a packed ballroom.<\/p>\n<p>On May 21, 2025, Elias Rodriguez, 31, from Chicago, purchased a ticket to the \u201cYoung Diplomats Reception\u201d sponsored by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum.<\/p>\n<p>Outside the museum, Rodriguez shot&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/messianic-and-episcopal-communities-mourn-yaron-lischinsky-and-sarah-milgrim-as-their-own\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yaron Lischinsky<\/a>, 30, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/yaron-lischinsky-and-sarah-milgrim-identified-as-victims-in-capital-jewish-museum-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sarah Milgrim<\/a>, 26, employees of the Israeli embassy, who attended the reception. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen who was in the U.S. on official business. Milgrim was a U.S. citizen. They were about to be engaged to be married.<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez wounded two others, referred to in the indictment only as C.S. and A.T.<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez allegedly told officers at the scene, \u201cI did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza\u201d and chanted, \u201cFree Palestine\u201d after being detained by security.<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, District of Columbia, on May 20, 2025, the day he flew to Washington, D.C., from Chicago with a 9mm handgun packed in his luggage, he authored a manifesto arguing that perpetrators of \u201cthe genocide\u201d have \u201cforfeited their humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israel has been falsely accused of committing genocide against Gazans during the war that followed the invasion of southern Israel by the terror group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the murder of some 1,200 men, women and children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sad truth is, for way too long, antisemitism has been allowed to grow unchecked in this country. Too many institutions have abdicated their moral responsibility to speak up. Too many so-called leaders have stayed quiet. Actions have consequences and inaction has consequences, too,\u201d Bondi said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Freedom of access<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>She said that the Trump administration is dedicated to rooting out antisemitism wherever it is found.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve sued violent protesters under the FACE act for intimidating Jewish Americans worshipping at synagogues. This is the first time since the passage of the FACE act in 1994 that it has been used to protect a house of worship,\u201d Bondi said.<\/p>\n<p>The FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) is a U.S. federal law making it a crime to use force, threats or physical obstruction to block people from exercising religious freedom at places of worship, among other institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo many synagogues have been forced to have extra security\u201d and the Department of Justice is \u201cdedicated to reversing this unacceptable trend,\u201d Bondi said.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to the Jan. 10 arson&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/man-charged-with-setting-fire-to-mississippi-synagogue-targeted-it-due-to-its-jewish-ties-fbi-says\/\">attack<\/a>&nbsp;on Beth Israel Congregation and the Goldring\/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Miss., she noted that along with first-degree arson the suspect had been charged with a hate-crime.<\/p>\n<p>She praised her assistant attorney general, Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and U.S. President Donald Trump for negotiating challenging settlements with universities that have allowed antisemitism to fester.<\/p>\n<p>Those settlements secured $200 million from Columbia University for violating the civil rights of Jewish students and employees, $75 million from Northwestern University for antisemitic conduct, and $60 million from Cornell University, along with measures to halt antisemitism, she reported.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi also said that a full investigation has been launched into the University of California system for systemic antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen Jewish students harassed just for going to class. We\u2019ve seen businesses boycotted and targeted. We will not allow acts of antisemitism to go unpunished in this country under the leadership of Donald Trump,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi recounted an incident at Florida State University where a female student verbally attacked and harassed a male student for wearing an IDF shirt. After being informed by the university president, Bondi contacted Florida\u2019s attorney general and law enforcement, saw the case proceed through the system, and the student responsible expelled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLittle things are the big things, and that sends a strong message that you can\u2019t behave that way anymore in our country. You can\u2019t bully other students simply because they\u2019re Jewish and you think you\u2019re better than they are. It\u2019s not going to happen under Donald Trump\u2019s presidency,\u201d Bondi said.<\/p>\n<p>She concluded by praising Trump\u2019s efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, recounting a story of meeting brothers Yair and Amos Horn. Yair had been taken captive along with a third brother, Eitan, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>When&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/yair-horn-freed-hamas-hostage-leaves-hospital\/\">Yair<\/a>&nbsp;was released, Eitan was held back by Hamas and remained in captivity. Bondi kept a picture on her desk of the sad moment when one was released but the other not.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks ago, she heard from Yair, saying he wanted to exchange the sad picture with a happy one of the three brothers united, which she showed to the audience.<\/p>\n<p>She applauded Trump, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump\u2019s son-in-law, who was recently named to the Gaza Board of Peace, for their work on behalf of the hostages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will continue to fight for Israel,\u201d Bondi concluded.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Pam%20Bondi%3A%20%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99ll%20pursue%20death%20penalty%20against%20killer%20of%20Israeli%20embassy%20staffers%E2%80%99\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":91226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25],"tags":[3069,14653,8781,15006,14652,3277,8839,14649],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91225"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91227,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91225\/revisions\/91227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}