In a shocking revelation, Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old Chicago native, who stands accused of the brutal murder of two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.
C., was found to have been financially supported by a radical left-wing group to attend a "resistance" conference in 2017.
This group, known for its links to the Chinese Communist Party and domestic anti-Israel factions, facilitated Rodriguez's interaction with pro-Hamas groups and other radical organizations at the conference. Rodriguez's admiration for their "commitment to actually getting things done" was evident in a video and an online fundraiser discovered by the Washington Free Beacon.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, Rodriguez's participation in the Peoples Congress of Resistance sheds light on his early journey towards radicalism. This journey reached a chilling climax on Wednesday night when Rodriguez allegedly assassinated Israeli diplomats Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
Eyewitnesses recounted that Rodriguez, 30, vociferously chanted "Free Palestine" post the shooting and brandished a keffiyeh. Rodriguez has reportedly confessed to the murders and now faces charges of first-degree murder.
ANSWER Chicago, a branch of the left-wing ANSWER Coalition, raised funds to facilitate Rodriguez's attendance at the Peoples Congress of Resistance. This two-day conference at Howard University aimed to "chart a path of nationwide grassroots resistance and mobilization to defeat Trump's reactionary program of unrestrained capitalism." The ANSWER Coalition, the anti-war group CODEPINK, and Samidoun, a pro-Hamas organization designated last year as a terrorist group, were the organizers of this resistance conference.
In a social media post soliciting donations for Rodriguez, ANSWER Chicago wrote, "Help us send Elias Rodriguez, a young resister and son of an Iraq war veteran, to the People's Congress of Resistance."
Rodriguez's motivation to attend the event was seemingly influenced by his father's experiences as an Army National Guardsman in Iraq. He wrote a note explaining that his father returned home with "souvenirs" from the war, including a patch he had ripped from an Iraqi soldiers uniform. "I dont want to see another generation of Americans coming home from genocidal imperialist wars with trophies," Rodriguez wrote on the fundraising page, which was deleted on Thursday.
Rodriguez stated, "Im attending the Peoples Congress of Resistance for many reasons, but a personal one for me is to put a final end to imperialist war, which the U.S. Congress of billionaires has a vested interest in expanding indefinitely."
Rodriguez's experience at the conference left a profound impression on him. Upon his return to Chicago, he shared his insights during a meeting for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a radical group closely associated with ANSWER Chicago.
"The Peoples Congress was all about organizing the most oppressed to win real victories. Ive never in my life been around so many people who share the same determinism [sic] to go beyond activism for the sake of activism," Rodriguez said in a video reviewed by the Free Beacon.
He further stated that his interactions with "comrades" left him with a "genuine blueprint and commitment to actually getting things done."
"I basically have never been around so many people so serious about daring to actually really win in my life. And as we work here in Chicago to build the Peoples Congress Ive never been more sure that we will win," Rodriguez said.
Prominent lawmakers, including Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), have urged the Trump Department of Justice to scrutinize the finances of ANSWER Coalition, the Peoples Congress of Resistance, and the Party of Socialism and Liberation due to their connections with Rodriguez. "Every single one of these groups and their funding should be investigated immediately," said Sen. Cornyn.
Last year, Congressional Republicans initiated an investigation into ANSWER Coalition, which the Network Research Contagion Institute has described as a conduit for Chinese Communist Party-affiliated groups to use "pro-Palestinian activism in the U.S., advancing a broader anti-American, anti-democratic, and anti-capitalist agenda."
The ANSWER Coalition has been linked to Neville Roy Singham, an Indian-American entrepreneur who funds a network of nonprofits and websites that have been associated with the Chinese Communist Party. Vijay Prashad, a Marxist journalist and longtime Singham associate, is listed as a convenor of the Peoples Congress of Resistance that Rodriguez attended.
The funding sources of ANSWER Coalition have been elusive due to its use of a third-party charity called the Progress Unity Fund to raise most of its money. According to tax documents, the Progress Unity Fund donated $232,000 for ANSWER Coalition activities in 2023 to fund demonstrations and "a mass action in Washington, D.C., that promoted a permanent ceasefire to end the war that took thousands of civilian lives in Gaza."
Rodriguez, like many other activists in the radical Chicago network, was a member of both ANSWER Chicago and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which describes itself as a "revolutionary Marxist organization."
In October 2017, he helped organize a protest outside the home of then-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel against a plan to subsidize construction of an Amazon headquarters. Rodriguez was identified as an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
He participated in another anti-Amazon protest in January 2018, this time identified as a member of ANSWER Chicago. "We feel like if we can keep Amazon out, that is a huge victory and demonstrates sort of the power of people coming together, being able to say no to things like gentrification and corporate subsidies," Rodriguez said.
ANSWER Chicago, the Progress Unity Fund, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation share many of the same organizers and personnel. Beth Massey, an anti-war activist who took part in the 1968 Columbia University campus protests, was the longtime secretary of the Progress Unity Fund. She is also involved in rallies for the Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Chicago.
Massey is also an official with Liberation Illinois Inc., led by activists Patrick McWilliams and Candice Choo-Kang, according to documents filed with the state of Illinois. McWilliams and Choo-Kang have been identified as members of ANSWER Chicago and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. McWilliams took part in the anti-Amazon protest alongside Rodriguez in January 2018. Choo-Kang contributed $25 to Rodriguezs GoFundMe campaign to attend to Peoples Congress of Resistance.
Liberation Illinois Inc. shares an address with the Party for Socialism and Liberation at an organization called the Chicago Liberation Center, which serves as a hub for radical groups in the Windy City.
ANSWER Chicago did not respond to a request for comment. The Party for Socialism and Liberation has sought to distance itself from Rodriguez, saying in a statement Thursday that he had only a brief affiliation with the organization. The group removed a video of Rodriguez discussing his 2017 trip after the Free Beacon reached out for comment.
This case underscores the urgent need for a thorough investigation into the funding and activities of radical groups. It also raises questions about the extent to which these groups may be influencing vulnerable individuals towards violent acts.
The tragic loss of the Israeli diplomats serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of unchecked radicalism.
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