In a startling revelation, a radical student group at Brandeis University, members of a socialist organization affiliated with House "Squad" members, and the treasurer of a Democratic super PAC heavily funded by George Soros, are among the figures and groups rallying for the release of Elias Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, a Chicago native, is the man police claim confessed to the murders of two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, an open letter in support of Rodriguez has been signed by twenty-one organizations and Democratic activist Kamau Franklin. The letter, organized by the Tariq El-Tahrir Youth and Student Network, labels Rodriguez's shooting of Israeli diplomats Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside of the Capital Jewish Museum as "fully justified," "eminently defensible," and "morally righteous."
The letter also calls for a halt to Zionism and a global intifada, a rallying cry popular among student radicals on Ivy League campuses such as Columbia University and Harvard University. Unity of Fields, a signee of the letter, has been involved in the Columbia protests.
The Liberation Caucus of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a group with which "Squad" members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and Greg Casar (D., Texas) are affiliated, also signed the letter. Franklin, who serves as treasurer of the Black Voters Matter Action PAC, a Democratic group that received $2.4 million from Soros and the Soros-funded Democracy PAC, endorsed the letter and promoted it on his Twitter page.
The Brandeis Jewish Bund, an "Anti-Zionist" group at Brandeis University, and Bronx Anti War, cofounded by Janet Goodman-Clarke, a member of the Soros-funded Jewish Voice for Peace, are among the other signatories.
The ties of these groups to prominent Democratic lawmakers, donors, and organizations underscore the extent to which anti-Semitism has infiltrated the party. Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, held a virtual event with DSAs New York chapter in December but has not addressed the Liberation Caucus's signing of the pro-Rodriguez letter.
Some signatories are linked to Palestinian terrorist groups. The leader of Nidal Seattle, another signatory, is a member of Samidoun, an anti-Israel group that the United States and Canada designated as a terrorist group last year due to its ties to Hamas. Bissan Barghouti, the Nidal Seattle leader, is also a former official with the Washington chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the largest liberal activist groups in the country.
The Tariq El-Tahrir Youth and Student Network, which released the open letter, was formed last year by Masar Badil, a multinational anti-Zionist group. Khaled Barakat, the founder of both Masar Badil and Samidoun, is a senior member of the terrorist group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the U.S. government.
Rodriguez, despite his radical affiliations, does not appear to have direct ties to any of the organizations. However, he was a member of two radical groups involved in the anti-Israel movement: the Party of Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition. Both groups have been linked to a network funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The Network Research Contagion Institute reports that the Singham network uses groups like ANSWER Coalition and the Party of Socialism and Liberation as conduits for Chinese Communist Party-affiliated groups to advance a broader anti-American, anti-democratic, and anti-capitalist agenda through "pro-Palestinian activism in the U.S."
The Chicago chapter of the ANSWER Coalition organized a fundraiser for Rodriguez to attend the Peoples Congress of Resistance in September 2017.
This information raises questions about the extent of radical influence in American politics and the potential for foreign interference. It is a stark reminder of the need for vigilance in the face of such threats to our democratic values and national security.
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