CBS legal correspondent apologizes after posting video showing Abdul El-Sayed asked to reject the Muslim Brotherhood
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CBS News legal affairs reporter Jan Crawford deleted a tweet featuring a Michigan Senate town-hall video where a heckler asked candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, then apologized and said the post broke 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 highlighted the exchange in which the heckler asked El-Sayed whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, a question also used by El-Sayed’s Republican opponent. El-Sayed responded affirmatively and questioned the implication of dual loyalties.
Crawford later wrote on X that the tweet violated CBS News standards and apologized for the mistake. The deleted post drew criticism from social-media users and media watchdogs, with some accusing the reporter of taking sides in a partisan fight against the candidate.
The incident also reportedly generated 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.