Tragedy struck in Washington on Wednesday when a pro-Hamas activist allegedly murdered two Israeli embassy workers in cold blood. The criminal complaint asserts that Elias Rodriguez, a far-left socialist from Chicago, shot Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky in the back as they were leaving an event on collaboration to deliver aid to Gaza. Per the complaint, the killer then reloaded and proceeded to continue shooting Milgram as she attempted to crawl away.
A manifesto was released online just before the shooting, with Rodriguez claiming he intended to carry out the murders to avenge the "genocide" happening in Gaza. He ended his screed by saying that it was the only "sane" thing to do. Of course, you didn't need his manifesto to know his motive, given he shouted "free Palestine" while being arrested and admitted he "did it for Gaza."
SEE: Gross Details of Manifesto of 'Free Palestine' Killer Who Murdered Israeli Embassy Workers
None of this happened in a vacuum. Rodriguez was simply the natural outgrowth of the rabid pro-Hamas movement that has swept across the United States, especially on Ivy League college campuses. From Democrat politicians to national press members, the permission structure to murder Israelis has been built by excusing chants for a "global intifada" and "resistance by any means necessary" as harmless sloganeering.
In the aftermath of such a terrible act, you'd hope the mainstream media would at least shut up in light of all the harm they've helped perpetrate. Instead, they managed to go to an even darker place: Worrying about the very movement that propagated these killings.
After the shooting, the CNN anchor’s main concern is the optics against anti-Israel protesters, not the safety of Jews. Her guest pushes back. It’s an incredible moment of television. pic.twitter.com/8iBFbQgNAA
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) May 22, 2025
ANCHOR: As you go forward, as you go forward with what you have seen, can you give us any sense because you said you looked the shooter in the eyes? Can you give us any sense of what you saw in him as he was, sort of, getting help, and people were tending to him as if he too was a victim of seeing this?
EPSTEIN: Yeah, to be clear, I like, heard about that part because we were in a secure room when he initially walked in. I just saw him screaming and being handcuffed. But what I saw in his eyes? I went to Columbia for grad school and I saw the same thing in his eyes as I saw in the eyes of all the protesters at Columbia. Nothing different between him and them.
ANCHOR: But they did not create this horrific shooting, they did not, you know, sort of...
EPSTEIN: (Expresses doubt)
ANCHOR: They didn't shoot, they haven't shot..
EPSTEIN: They gave permission. They gave him permission. They have called for this. They have called for intifada revolution, which is the same thing he yelled last night.
ANCHOR: Do you worry there will be a conflation, though, those people who are really speaking their mind, who really care about what is happening in Gaza, and those people who are, like this person, who did this horrific shooting, who intend to do harm.
EPSTEIN: A conflation? I mean, they are calling for intifada. At Columbia University, they call for intifada constantly. They're not quiet. They're loud. You can hear it. They make recordings of themselves. So what's the difference?
ANCHOR: Are you afraid?
EPSTEIN: Yes.
It's just astonishing to see a supposedly unbiased news anchor grill a guy who just witnessed a domestic terror attack on whether the supporters of the domestic terrorist will be unfairly "conflated" with him. Would she ever do that in any other situation? The answer is obviously not.
As the witness says, there is no difference in motive or belief between Rodriguez and the rest of his "free Palestine" cohorts. This is what a "global intifada" looks like, and CNN has been one of the worst outlets when it comes to glossing over how dangerous the pro-Hamas movement is in America.
The New York Times did a similar dance, writing an entire piece rife with concern over whether this would dampen the pro-Hamas lunatics from continuing to call for genocide and Islamic world domination. Never has Norm MacDonald's famous post about Islamophobia been more relevant.
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) May 23, 2025
But leave it to NBC News, which tried to rig a debate during the last presidential cycle, to take things a step further. With the bodies of two innocent victims murdered by a pro-Hamas activist still warm, the left-wing broadcast network went to its safe space: Talking about "white nationalism."
The number of white nationalist, hate and anti-government groups around the U.S. dropped slightly in 2024, not because of any shrinking influence.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 23, 2025
Many feel their beliefs have become more normalized in government and mainstream discourse. https://t.co/WrHBpVSVjF
We've had two left-wing assassins succeed in murdering people in the streets for ideological reasons. We've had two other left-wing assassins unsuccessfully try to kill now-President Donald Trump. We've had left-wing terrorists set Tesla dealerships on fire, beat Jews in the streets at places like Harvard, and attempt to blow up an IVF clinic. Yet, NBC News is focused like a laser beam on "white nationalism" being the supposed primary threat to the nation.
It's absurd, and everyone knows it's absurd. The mainstream press is truly as bad as it seems, and as an institution, it is never going to change. They will continue to make excuses for or obfuscate regarding left-wing domestic terrorism because deep down, they agree with the "resistance" movement.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and fight against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.
Help us continue to tell the truth. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Editor’s Note: To celebrate the passage of the tremendous One Big, Beautiful Bill, we’re offering a fire sale on VIP memberships!
Join us in the fight against the radical left today and support our reporting as President Trump continues to usher in the Golden Age of America. Use promo code POTUS47 at checkout to get 74% off!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member