Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed pushes back against smear campaign over Muslim Brotherhood claims
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In a televised debate, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed firmly denied allegations that he or his family have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, while Republican opponent Mike Rogers cited a 2012 letter to Egypt’s president as part of his attack. El-Sayed said the accusations were beneath his opponent, and no verifiable evidence has been presented to support the claims.
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed was forced to confront a string of ugly, politically motivated accusations from Republican Senate hopeful Mike Rogers during Wednesday night’s Michigan U.S. Senate debate, where Rogers alleged that El-Sayed had links to the Muslim Brotherhood and had advocated for defunding police forces abroad. Rogers pointed to a 2012 letter, reported by The Washington Free Beacon, in which El-Sayed called on Egypt’s president, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, to purge the nation’s police.
"To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you," El-Sayed said, adding that he is proud of America and its constitutional protections.
El-Sayed also responded to social-media posts from his half-sister that claimed their mother had been involved in Muslim Brotherhood activism in the 1970s, flatly rejecting the insinuations and saying he has no personal or family ties to the organization. He said he was not raised by his biological mother.
"I've never been a part because my mom, who's a nurse in Missouri, it doesn't make any sense. And it's actually really quite beneath you, Mike," he told the audience.
Rogers countered by leaning on alarmist rhetoric, noting that the ideology is banned in several Muslim-majority countries and warning about its supposed impact on U.S. law-enforcement funding.
No verifiable evidence has been presented to confirm any affiliation between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood.