Mike Rogers pushes baseless fear-mongering about Abdul El-Sayed at Trump rally, drawing a muted reaction
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At a Donald Trump rally, Rep. Mike Rogers tried to smear Democratic opponent Dr. Abdul El-Sayed by tying him to the Muslim Brotherhood, but the crowd barely reacted. Trump then amplified the accusations with his own inflammatory language.
Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Mike Rogers addressed a crowd at a Donald Trump rally and launched into a familiar right-wing smear campaign, alleging that his opponent, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, had accepted campaign contributions from people tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers said, "And now, he’s accepted campaign donations from organizations, as I said, and even the literal spokesmen from the Muslim Brotherhood. I’ll tell you, as a former FBI agent, I can tell you, we would call that a clue."
The line landed with little enthusiasm, drawing only minimal applause. Rogers then acknowledged the crowd’s tepid response, noting that people eventually reacted after a pause. He added, "But we sure know that Abdul El-Sayed does not belong anywhere near the United States Senate, and certainly not representing us here."
The Washington Free Beacon had previously reported that El-Sayed’s campaign finance records show donations from individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, including a former spokesman for the group’s political party in Egypt. El-Sayed has publicly disavowed the organization and condemned the allegations, though he has not addressed specific donations.
President Donald Trump later repeated the accusations and escalated the rhetoric, calling El-Sayed a jihadist and suggesting he would need a metal detector to enter the Senate. Trump said, "He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector. If Abdul gets to the Senate he would have access to our nation’s national security, and his vote would wield power over our military, our borders, our Homeland Security, and much more with that."