AG Pam Bondi Told AIC Conference Justice Department Is Seeking Death Penalty for Killing of Israeli Embassy Workers
By The Media Line Staff
US Attorney General Pam Bondi told an audience at the Israeli American Council (IAC) summit in Florida on Friday that the Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, framing the prosecution as part of a broader Trump administration push against antisemitism.
Speaking at the 10th annual AIC conference, Bondi said the victims were targeted because they were Jewish and described the attack near the Capital Jewish Museum as an act that the administration would treat with maximum severity. She said federal prosecutors are pursuing capital punishment against the suspect, emphasizing that antisemitic violence would not be tolerated in the United States.
Two Israeli Embassy employees, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May 2025. Authorities arrested Elias Rodriguez in connection with the shooting, alleging the pair were targeted because they were Jewish.
Bondi used the case to emphasize what she called a wider crackdown on anti-Jewish hatred, arguing that years of institutional inaction had allowed hostility toward Jewish Americans to spread. She pointed to recent hate crimes and said the Justice Department is now taking a more aggressive enforcement posture, particularly on university campuses. Without detailing individual cases at length, Bondi cited large civil settlements with several universities over their handling of anti-Israel protests and said additional investigations remain ongoing.
She also highlighted administrative and disciplinary actions taken at the state level, including intervention in campus incidents she said crossed the line into harassment. Bondi credited President Donald Trump’s leadership for driving the policy shift and for prioritizing the return of hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, calling those efforts central to the administration’s approach.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who also addressed the gathering, focused largely on Iran. He said Tehran faces severe internal pressures, including economic hardship and infrastructure shortages, and argued that diplomacy remains preferable to military escalation if Iran curtails its nuclear program and regional proxy activity. Witkoff repeatedly stressed his confidence in President Trump’s judgment, saying he trusted the president’s instincts on when to apply pressure and when to pursue negotiations. He described his work on hostage-related efforts as the most meaningful undertaking of his career and characterized the US-Israel relationship as a cornerstone alliance.
Retired Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, formerly commander of US Central Command, addressed regional security and Iran from a military perspective. Kurilla said any confrontation with Tehran must be guided by clear goals and coordinated across diplomatic, economic, informational, and military channels. He described Israel as an indispensable partner, citing close operational cooperation and intelligence-sharing, and said Israel’s recent military performance against Iranian air defenses should be studied by armed forces worldwide.
Together, the remarks framed the IAC summit as a platform for linking domestic enforcement against antisemitism with US-Israel strategic coordination.
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