- 5 months ago
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and top DOJ officials hold a press briefing to discuss the prosecution of the suspect in the Capital Jewish Museum shooting suspect.
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00:00Come on, guys. Let me get closer. All right. First of all, I think you know who I am. I'm
00:07Jeanine Ferris-Piro. I am now the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
00:13And on May 22nd, I stood at this very podium to announce the initial charging of Elias
00:19Rodriguez, 31 years old, of Chicago, Illinois, to a community that was reeling because of
00:26one person's actions. Today, we in the United States Attorney's Office continue our journey
00:32to seek justice for not only two, but four victims of this horrific crime, which has had
00:39enormous consequences and repercussions, not just in the district, but nationwide and worldwide.
00:46Not only affecting these victims and their families, but opening old wounds and re-victimizing
00:54victims of past anti-Semitism. Now, a few facts. On May 20th of 2025, Elias Rodriguez traveled from
01:04Chicago, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., and brought with him a 9mm semi-automatic weapon. While on the
01:13plane, he traveled across multiple state lines and drafted a manifesto called an explication
01:21on his iPhone. His explication made clear his purpose in committing these crimes that I'm about
01:30to read to you was to demonstrate his hatred for the people of Israel. The next day, on the afternoon
01:37of May 21, he purchased a ticket to attend a young diplomat's reception sponsored by the American
01:45Jewish Committee at the Capitol Jewish Museum located just two blocks from here on Third Street in
01:54Northwest D.C. Now, the American Jewish Committee, of course, supports Israel and its right to exist
02:02in peace and security. That very same night, he watched as people left the reception. When he saw the
02:11four victims in this case, all of whom were from the Israeli embassy, he crossed the street, he opened
02:20fire, killing first Yaron Lashinsky, then killing Sarah Milgram, and when firing these fatal shots, he yelled,
02:30free Palestine. After he killed Yaron and Sarah, he entered the Capitol Jewish Museum, pulled out a red
02:41keffiyeh, and yelled, I did it for Palestine, after which he was arrested. Now, a D.C. grand jury has charged in this
02:54indictment two hate crimes, alleging that he murdered Yaron Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram because of his bias
03:02against the people of Israel. He demonstrated this hatred through his words, death to Israel, and his violent
03:11actions against Yaron and Sarah and their co-workers from the Israeli embassy. He also posted one of his postings on
03:21social media, please, please, please, God, please, vaporize every Israeli. And now to the charges.
03:32A grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted Elias Rodriguez in a nine-count indictment with the
03:38following crimes. Count one, murder of a foreign official under 18 U.S.C. 1116 for the murder of 30-year-old
03:49Yaron Lashinsky, a foreign official employed by the government of Israel. Counts two and three are hate
03:57crimes resulting in death under 18 U.S.C. 249, where the defendant crossed state lines, willfully caused bodily
04:07injury to Yaron Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram because of actual as well as perceived national origin, which
04:15resulted in both of their deaths. Counts four and five, the discharge of a firearm during a crime of
04:23violence causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm. The defendant knowingly used,
04:30carried, and discharged a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and with malice
04:38counts of forethought, he did unlawfully kill Yaron and Sarah with a firearm. Counts six and seven,
04:46first-degree murder while armed. Under the defendant, Rodriguez, with deliberate and premeditated malice,
04:54killed Yaron and Sarah by shooting each with a firearm, thereby causing injuries from which each died.
05:01Counts eight and nine, assault with intent to kill while armed, while armed with a firearm, he assaulted.
05:11C.S. and A.T., those are initials, with intent to kill a person. Attached to this indictment are further
05:23findings of the grand jury. It's designated as a notice of special findings under 18 U.S.C. 3591 and 92.
05:34This begins the statutory process and whether to seek the death penalty. This is a weighty decision.
05:43It takes time. There will be a rigorous process after which the capital case section
05:51in the Attorney General's office will advise the Attorney General and the Attorney General herself
05:58will make a decision regarding whether or not this office will seek death against Elias Rodriguez.
06:06In that regard, I think it's important to identify a specific special finding. And I direct your attention
06:14to, I believe it's paragraph 28. Rodriguez committed an offense against Sarah Milgram in an especially
06:27heinous and cruel and depraved manner. In that, it involved serious physical abuse to Sarah Milgram,
06:35who was particularly vulnerable due to infirmity.
06:44Now, let me close by saying that prior to speaking to you today, I spoke with the parents of Yaron
06:53Lashinsky as well as Sarah Milgram. The parents of Yaron are in Israel. Sarah's parents are in the United States.
07:02These are people who are broken because of one man's actions. These are people
07:07people who should have been in-laws, but because of one man's action. They will never be able to celebrate
07:14a marriage that was intended or the grandchildren that would have resulted.
07:21The families want to thank the prosecutors in my office. They want to thank the FBI,
07:27the MPD, and all of the people in the Attorney General's office who have worked on this case. And
07:36they wanted me to send that message. And now I want to make something perfectly clear.
07:43Violence against anyone in this district will not be tolerated, especially violence, which has hate
07:52at its core and is the genesis of violence. The president put me here to do a job, to clean up
08:01the district, to make sure that crime doesn't overshadow this phenomenal city, our nation's capital.
08:10And I have throughout my career fought antisemitism for 32 years as a prosecutor and a judge.
08:17I do so. I fight hate crimes with a vengeance. So don't even think about targeting people in this
08:25district because of who they are or because of where they're from. I promise you, justice will be swift
08:34and it will be certain. And I will work furiously and diligently with my phenomenal staff to make sure
08:42that we prosecute every one of these cases. This is the nation's capital. This is where we celebrate
08:50unity. Hate has no place, but justice will rule. And now I want to call upon Harmeet Dillon to my right.
09:04She is the assistant attorney general for civil rights. You may know her and I want to thank her
09:11and her division for helping us on this. Harmeet. Thank you, Judge Jeanine, for your remarks and for
09:16your diligent work of your office on this matter. It is my weighty responsibility under federal law to
09:22certify any hate crime charges at the federal level in the United States. And we did that in this case
09:29with alacrity. The Civil Rights Division remains unwavering in the same commitment that you just
09:36heard from Judge Jeanine. Namely, there will be a zero tolerance policy in this district and in these
09:43United States for any hate motivated violence, including in this case on the basis of actual and or
09:52perceived national origin. The community in question has been reeling from a stream of violence that
10:00has been occurring in these United States for almost two years now. To those who seek to inflict further
10:06pain and suffering on Israeli communities, we will use every legal tool at our disposal to hold them
10:14accountable for these actions and deter future actions. The Civil Rights Division is committed to
10:20ensuring that every community in these United States is safe from violence, intimidation,
10:26and discrimination, as in this case. No one in America should fear for their life because of their
10:32faith, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. This indictment reflects our ongoing commitment to hold
10:40these criminals accountable, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue justice for Yaron and Sarah,
10:46their families, and their communities. I hope this beginning of this process brings some comfort
10:53to the many people in this community who have approached the Department of Justice and expressed their
10:57deep concern for their safety. I think no one can claim that this is not a serious problem here in our
11:04district right now, and it is embarrassing as an American to see that. Next, I'm going to introduce FBI
11:11District of Columbia Field Office Criminal Division Special Agent in Charge, Reed Davis.
11:24Thank you, Judge Puro. Thank you, AG Dillon. Good morning. My name is Reed Davis. I'm the Special Agent
11:30in Charge for the Washington Field Office Criminal Division. Today's announcement is a major step forward in
11:36our partners and the FBI's efforts to seek justice for the victims and the families of the horrific act
11:44at the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21st. Since that tragic night, our FBI and DOJ victim specialists
11:52have forged relationships with the surviving victims and the families of the young couple who were
11:57ruthlessly murdered. They have maintained close contact and kept them apprised of significant
12:03investigative milestones in the case, and these victim specialists will remain in contact with
12:09the families until justice is served. FBI investigation to date indicates that the subject
12:15acted alone with the intent to commit a violent act in the District of Columbia. Based on his writings
12:22and communications, we believe he was a lone wolf actor motivated by anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine
12:29ideology with the goal of conducting a mass shooting to call attention to his political agenda.
12:36We wouldn't be at this stage without the significant support of our partners on the
12:41Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the Metropolitan Police Department,
12:46the Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Capitol Police, and many others who have left no stone
12:51unturned in this investigation. The FBI field offices across the country also provided vital support,
12:58especially our Chicago field office, which conducted numerous interviews. In addition, we're
13:03extremely grateful to the members of the D.C. community who shared video footage of the subject's movements.
13:09We continue to seek information from the public relevant to this case and others as we see the spread of
13:16ideology motivated violence and mass casualty events across the nation. Taking violent action in support
13:23of one's political or personal beliefs is abhorrent, it's unacceptable, and the FBI will rigorously
13:31investigate and aggressively pursue those who choose to do so. Our work is not done. This indictment is the
13:38next step towards justice and we'll continue to support the prosecution of the subject through our
13:43investigation. And now more than ever, we need the public to be vigilant and report to law enforcement
13:50any concerns they may have of an individual who may be considering violent actions.
13:56Thank you. And now I'd like to turn it over to MPD Assistant Chief Rami Kyle.
14:08Good morning. I'm Assistant Chief Rami Kyle of the Investigative Services Bureau at the Metropolitan
14:12Police Department. Since our officers apprehended Elias Rodriguez and recovered the murder weapon
14:17moments after the shooting, our homicide detectives have tirelessly pursued justice. MPD has a solemn
14:23obligation of investigating every homicide occurring in the District of Columbia, a duty we do not
14:28take lightly. Our detectives work closely with our partners at the FBI Washington field office
14:34as this case progressed and as the investigation traveled outside of our city and outside of our
14:38jurisdiction. The charges unveiled here this morning underscore our collective commitment to ensuring
14:44Rodriguez faces the maximum punishment possible. Calling this a shooting alone doesn't begin to
14:50describe the vicious and hateful attack Rodriguez traveled halfway across the country, came to our city
14:57with the intent to murder people simply because of who they are, what they believed and where they came from.
15:03Hate has no place in our community. We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all those impacted
15:10by the loss of Yaron Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram. MPD strongly supports the religious community here in
15:16Washington DC. We have maintained a heightened presence at religious institutions and we are in regular
15:22contact with leaders of all faiths and work to safeguard our houses of worship. As always, we remind our
15:28community to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity. I want to commend the dozens
15:34of MPD officers and fellow first responders that rushed to the Capitol Jewish Museum that night. These
15:40brave men and women, they did not know the nature of the threat they were running toward and acted swiftly
15:47to take this suspect into custody. I want to thank our partners here at the United States Attorney's
15:52Office and the FBI Washington field office for their commitment to pursuing justice. Every agency involved in this
15:56investigation has worked together seamlessly from the very beginning. And lastly, I want to express
16:04our gratitude to our local community for providing tips and video that helped our detectives with this
16:10case. I also want to thank our community for supporting our Jewish community in the face of this awful
16:15tragedy. Thank you. And I'll turn it back to Judge Pirro. Thank you.
16:23Okay. Any questions? Ms. Pirro, can you clarify as far as the death penalty is concerned? I'm unclear. Are you
16:31recommending to the Attorney General that the DOJ go ahead with this death penalty designation? Or is this
16:40something that you're saying flat out that you're seeking the death penalty? Okay. Thank you for the question.
16:46And what the special findings attached to the indictment, and if you get a copy of the indictment, you'll find it,
16:55is an indication that there is a process that we are considering right now.
16:59And the Department of Justice has a very rigorous internal
17:03process for determining and reviewing cases to determine whether the death penalty is appropriate.
17:10The Capital Case Section is responsible for conducting the review. The review includes an examination of
17:17all the evidence and of the charges. The defendant is allowed to submit information for consideration by
17:26the Capital Case Section as well, which is one of the reasons that we attach these special findings.
17:32Once this review is completed, it is then that the Attorney General will determine whether or not to
17:38authorize my office to seek death. So the simple question, or the simple answer to your important
17:45question is, we are starting the process. We've made no decision yet. Yes, sir.
17:51Judge Pirro, go ahead, sorry. There's been reporting in addition after an attack earlier this week on a Trump
17:58administration Doge official that the Trump administration was making plans to increase
18:03federal law enforcement throughout the city. Can you confirm if that's accurate and what your office
18:07is aware of? You know, my understanding is that both the Trump administration as well as the
18:13Metropolitan Police Department are looking to increase law enforcement efforts because of the violence
18:22we're seeing across this country, across this city. I'm not sure specifically what you're referring to, but
18:30we just have too much crime.
18:34I just want to ask you, there's a new FBI report that says that anti-Semitic crimes have gone up 70%.
18:43This is the highest number against any religious group. Given your announcement today,
18:48do you envision any enhanced prosecution efforts, deterrence efforts?
18:53Give us some context about that. Look, I think your question is an important one,
18:58and it makes it clear that we have a problem with anti-Semitism in this country. And the statistics bear that
19:04out. And I think now more than ever, we are seeing increased numbers. So what does that mean?
19:11If you know what it means, if you can get from my tone, we're going to be very aggressive. You heard from the FBI,
19:19the MPD. We're going to look for these cases. We're going to prosecute these cases to the full force of the law.
19:26It's a problem and we're not going to tolerate it. Anti-Semitism has historically been one of the biggest scabs in the world
19:35that keeps getting picked on and picked at. So from my perspective, you know, I will go forward with
19:43every case with vengeance.
19:44Judge Beard, do you support a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., as the president has suggested?
19:50Yeah, that is a decision for the president. And I think that what the president was saying
19:56is that we're seeing far too much crime being committed by young people, 14, 15, 16, 17 years old,
20:04that I can't get my hands on. I mean, I don't know if you've seen some of the pictures,
20:09but, you know, young people are coddled and they don't need to be coddled anymore. They need to be held accountable.
20:15They shouldn't be going to arts and crafts in family court. They need to understand that enough is enough
20:20enough and that the D.C. Council has to repeal some of these absurd ordinances and laws that
20:28they've had passed that do nothing to protect the people of this city and of this district.
20:33And I will reference a case that I wrote an op-ed piece on that I've been talking about for weeks.
20:39A young person gets on a bus with an illegal gun. There is a family on the bus.
20:47He makes a decision to shoot someone in the chest. There, to me, that's intent to kill.
20:52But for the grace of God, that individual did not die. Now, he's got a gun. It's illegal. He used the gun.
21:02Guess what the sentence was? I got a conviction. The sentence was probation. We can't have that.
21:10And by the way, he wasn't a kid. He was 19. These are the rules of the D.C. Council.
21:16They've got to be changed. We've got to have the ability to let young people know
21:21that they're going to be accountable. And if you look at some of these pictures of these kids being
21:26beaten by crews and bloodied up, and you want to tell me that, you know, it's only a kid who did it?
21:32No. Take a look at the bloodied up face and body, and you'll know that it's more than little kids doing
21:39doing this kind of thing. Are you trying to get your office to take over what Brian Schwab is doing?
21:44Do you want to take over juvenile justice here in Mississippi?
21:46I'm not trying to do anything vis-a-vis Brian Schwab. All I want to do is clean up D.C.
21:52That's why the president put me here. And youth crime is on the rise. In the last four years,
21:58we've had 150,000 cases of youth violence, okay, four years ago. Now it's close to a half a million
22:05cases of youth violence. We've got D.C. as one of the highest murder rates in the country. So we can
22:12talk about crime going down, but going down from where? So, I mean, this is something that is a whole
22:20other issue. Today is about this indictment and making sure that if you intend to commit a crime
22:27of anti-Semitism or hate, we're coming for you. You spoke to Yaron and Sarah's parents. Did they,
22:33have they taken a position on whether they want the Justice Department to seek the death penalty? And
22:38separately, Steve Jensen was supposed to be up there alongside you announcing this today,
22:42but he's been fired. Do you have any explanation why? Okay. I'm going to talk about
22:49Sarah and Yaron's parents. I spoke to them and I told them that the process is beginning,
22:57that they will have an opportunity and a right to put their input into what decision is ultimately
23:05made. Okay. And I'm not going to talk about politics today. I'm talking about crime. I'm
23:12talking about hate crimes and that's the extent of it. Okay.
23:16This other reporter was asking the question. There is word that there are going to be more
23:21federal law enforcement, including perhaps National Guard on the streets of D.C. today
23:26and tomorrow as a result of some of this recent violence. What is your reaction or could Assistant
23:31Chief Kyle speak to that? I know that there is an effort to increase law enforcement based upon
23:38what we've seen. But I also know that today is about the Leshimsky's and Sarah and two other victims
23:44whose lives are forever changed because of one individual's decision to come to this city and
23:50create a ripple effect that has rippled throughout the world. And that's enough on the other stuff.
23:56Okay. Could we ask Assistant Chief Kyle for his reaction to that more federal law enforcement?
24:02Could you come to the microphone? I'd rather we talk about Leshimsky. You can call him later. I'm done.
24:08A follow up on the cases. You mentioned specifically Rodriguez's actions towards Sarah being the reason
24:15why you would. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that? I know you mentioned it.
24:18Yeah. No, I can't. That will come out at trial. But I refer you to that part of the special findings.
24:25It's horrific. Thank you all very much. Okay. Take care. Thank you.
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