CBS legal correspondent apologizes after amplifying a right-wing anti-Muslim smear in Abdul El-Sayed town-hall video
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CBS News legal affairs reporter Jan Crawford deleted a tweet that pushed a video from a Michigan Senate town hall in which a heckler pressed candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, then apologized and said the post violated network standards.
CBS News veteran correspondent Jan Crawford removed a tweet that included a video from a town-hall meeting with Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. In the post, Crawford thanked a heckler identified as “Tommy” and spotlighted the exchange in which the heckler asked El-Sayed whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, a talking point used by El-Sayed’s Republican opponent. El-Sayed responded affirmatively and challenged the insinuation of dual loyalties, underscoring how the question was framed to stigmatize him.
Crawford later wrote on X that the tweet violated CBS News standards and apologized for the mistake. The deleted post triggered criticism from social-media users and media watchdogs, with some accusing the reporter of lending credibility to a partisan attack line against the candidate.
The incident also reportedly prompted internal concern at CBS, according to a media reporter. The controversy comes amid broader staffing changes at CBS News following the appointment of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss in October 2025, after Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of her outlet The Free Press.