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CNN Anchor Worried About Pro-Hamas Optics After Tragic Murder of Israeli Embassy Staffers

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 22, 2025 4:45 PM

On Wednesday night, two young staffers from the Israeli Embassy who were set to become engaged, were murdered. The suspect in custody, Elias Rodriguez, was heard yelling "Free Palestine" and also had a keffiyeh. Out of such a tragedy, that this is not good look for the pro-Hamas crowd was what was on the mind of CNN anchor Sarah Sidner. If such priorities weren't horrific enough, she expressed concerns while speaking with Jonathan Epstein, who witnessed the shooting. 

When describing what he witnessed, Epstein shared that he heard "a man yell, 'Free Palestine,'" who he thought "was a random protester" who "was protesting an event for the sake of it. He also said he "had no idea he was the shooter." Epstein described lots of yelling from the suspect, especially when the police came. "He whipped out a keffiyeh--actually, a Jordanian keffiyeh, ironically--and then was cuffed," Epstein discussed. 

At one point in the conversation, as Sidner spoke about how Epstein "looked the shooter in the eye," asking what he "saw in him," Epstein spoke of how he himself went to Columbia University for graduate school, which has been a hotbed of pro-Hamas activity, along with its sister school, Barnard College. As Epstein was sharing his own experiences with antisemitism, which other people have also described, Sidner actually tried to argue with him. 

"Well, to be clear, I like heard out that part because we were in a secure room when he initially walked in. I just saw him screaming and then being handcuffed," Epstein said. "But what I saw in his eyes--I mean, 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."

"But they did not create this horrific shooting," Sidner argued after a pause, trying to argue that they didn't do so because they weren't the ones who used the gun to kill the victims, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. 

"They gave permission. They gave the permission, and they've called for this. They have called for intifada revolution, which is the same thing he yelled last night," Epstein responded with, speaking about the suspect. 

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Many speaking about the tragic shooting of these victims over social media, as well as the hotbed of antisemitism that has infected the country, especially but not merely on college campuses, have made similar points.

Still, Sidner argued back, even asking about Epstein's concerns for those who are pro-Hamas. "Do you worry that there will be a conflation though of the two?" Sidner asked, lamenting how terrorist sympathizers might be accurately portrayed. "Those people who are 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," she said to describe them. 

Epstein also pushed back in response, becoming more passionate with his crucial reminders. "A conflation? I mean, they are calling for intifada. At Columbia University they call for intifada constantly. They're not quiet, they're loud, they're loud. You can hear it. They make recordings of themselves," he reminded, with such pro-Hamas taking place this week at graduation and earlier this month at the library during finals week. "So, what's the difference?" 

Sidner did not answer his question, but rather followed up with an obvious one for Epstein, asking, "are you afraid?" Not only did Eptein quickly affirm he was, but added that "we're all afraid" and that "everyone should be afraid."

When asked what he was going to do about being safer, Epstein reminded viewers about the importance of living your life but also about the failures involved. "Well, you just go on and live your life. I'm a New Yorker. I remember 9/11. You can't let them make you be afraid. You have to go on and you have to live your life. And hopefully, your government does things to protect you. Last night our government failed us," he said before Sidner brought the segment to a close, previewing that they plan to bring Epstein back "as this goes forward."