Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Scrambles to Distance Himself from Radical Streamer Hasan Piker After Outrageous Comments
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Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is under fire for his association with controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who made inflammatory remarks linking support for Israel to threats against American Jews.
Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, attempted damage control on Monday, insisting that only he and his campaign staff speak for his campaign after his close association with radical Twitch streamer Hasan Piker came under scrutiny. The move follows Piker’s shocking comments, made after endorsing El-Sayed and appearing at campaign events, in which he warned that if American Jews continue to be portrayed as invested in Israel, 'someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.' Such rhetoric, which dangerously flirts with justifying violence, has no place in American political discourse. Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers rightly called out El-Sayed in a social-media post, accusing him of tolerating 'violent and hateful rhetoric.' El-Sayed, seeking to contain the fallout, claimed, 'My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms.' Yet El-Sayed’s record tells a different story. As a former Wayne County health director and a potential first Muslim senator, he has repeatedly faced criticism for his inflammatory statements about Israel’s actions in Gaza and for labeling the Israeli military as 'bloodthirsty.' While he now pays lip service to solidarity with Jewish residents and denounces antisemitism, he continues to oppose unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, aligning himself with the far-left’s anti-Israel agenda. The controversy has only grown as Rogers reaches out to disillusioned Democratic voters, including Jewish constituents who are rightly concerned about El-Sayed’s stance on Israel and his troubling ties to Piker. A respected local rabbi publicly endorsed Rogers, describing Piker as 'a vicious antisemite and racist.' Meanwhile, the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus distanced itself from an open letter urging Jewish voters to back Rogers, maintaining the party’s official neutrality. El-Sayed’s communications director insists the candidate differentiates criticism of Israeli policy from antisemitism and is in regular dialogue with Jewish leaders, but many remain unconvinced as El-Sayed tries to build a coalition to defeat Rogers amid mounting controversy.