Tuesday, during an appearance on FNC's "Hannity," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) commented on Michigan Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and his alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The post Cruz on El-Sayed: ‘It’s Not Complicated — He Hates Israel, He Hates Jews’ appeared first on Breitbart.
On Tuesday, during NewsNation’s special “John Stossel Confronts Socialism,” NewsNation host Elizabeth Vargas said that Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has gone “a step further” than what socialism has mostly come to mean by advocating for government takeover
The post NewsNation’s Vargas: El-Sayed’s ‘a Step Further’ than Most Socialists appeared first on Breitbart.
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Abdul El-Sayed’s past support for Muslim Brotherhood protesters in Egypt is raising eyebrows in Congress after a former staffer for the left-wing Michigan Senate candidate says he's angling for a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if elected in November.
Two Republican panel members said there is no place on the committee for "radical views" held by El-Sayed, who has associated with controversial streamer Hasan Piker but has attempted during his bid for office to distance himself from the socialist arm of the Democratic Party.
"A man with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, who cheered their takeover of Egypt 15 years ago, and who campaigns with people saying America deserved 9/11, should not come anywhere near the U.S. Senate — and especially not the Foreign Relations Committee," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who serves on the power panel, told Fox News Digital.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., another member of the committee, responded to the controversy on X over the weekend.
TRUMP LINKS MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED TO MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: 'HE'S A CON MAN'
"El-Sayed says he’s running on affordability, so why does he want a seat on @SenateForeign?" McCormick wrote. "I sit on that committee, and someone with El-Sayed's radical views has no business on it."
McCormick’s post came in response to a report by The Midwesterner that featured comments from Jordan Domingue, who worked as El-Sayed’s security chief during his 2018 campaign for Michigan governor.
"It is extremely difficult to comprehend how dangerous this can be if he is elected," Domingue wrote on X. "It’s especially troubling knowing that despite no foreign policy experience, he REALLY wants a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."
In 2011, while working as an assistant professor at Columbia University, El-Sayed wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post urging the Obama administration to support protesters associated with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed argued that supporting the protesters was in the U.S. interest and wrote that even if the Muslim Brotherhood overthrew Egypt’s government, the resulting state would not necessarily resemble Iran.
"It is in America’s interest to support Egyptian protesters’ efforts to achieve the ability to speak their mind and have a say in how they are governed," El-Sayed wrote . "If the U.S. truly wants to be the beacon of justice and liberty that it claims it does, it would behoove the Obama administration to fall decisively behind the protesters in Egypt."
In a recent town hall, however, El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrant parents, said he does disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request about his 2011 op-ed about protesters.
The Muslim Brotherhood-backed government took power in Egypt in 2012 but was ousted by the military in 2013.
'POD SAVE AMERICA' HOSTS WARN EL-SAYED TO TONE DOWN 'CONDESCENSION' ON MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD QUESTIONS
El-Sayed has throughout his campaign emphasized healthcare, lowering gas and grocery prices and addressing the cost-of-living crisis, as noted by McCormick in his post about the candidate's reported interest in the Foreign Relations Committee.
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"It shouldn’t be this hard to get by in the richest, most powerful country in the world," El-Sayed said during his primary campaign against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
McCormick wonders why, given that context, El-Sayed would be gunning for a spot on a committee that deals solely with issues related to U.S. foreign relations.
At a town hall in Midland, Michigan, on Saturday, Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) said the 2nd Amendment boils down to protecting "equal rights to a musket."
The post Democrat Abdul El-Sayed: Second Amendment Protects ‘Equal Rights to a Musket’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Former Obama staffers who host the "Pod Save America" podcast debated Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s handling of a recent question about his family’s alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
While Tommy Vietor and his co-hosts sympathized with El-Sayed over questions they considered "bigoted," Jon Favreau warned that El-Sayed must keep in mind that he is speaking not just to the questioner, but also to voters who may be concerned about the Muslim Brotherhood itself.
Concerns about alleged ties between El-Sayed's family and the Muslim Brotherhood emerged after the Washington Free Beacon reported on social media posts in which El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, described her family's history with the organization, including her and El-Sayed's mother.
At an October 17 town hall, El-Sayed bristled when an audience member asked whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. After disavowing the organization, El-Sayed turned the scrutiny back on the audience member, saying, "You’re asking the question because, implicitly, you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties, right? You assume that I wouldn’t disavow, or that I'll have some higher order allegiance than to the Constitution, correct? Tommy, is that what you imply?"
'THE VIEW' CO-HOSTS DEFEND EL-SAYED COMPARING HIMSELF TO JFK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SCRUTINY
Favreau criticized Republican attempts to tie El-Sayed to the organization through his family connections, but argued that the GOP was using the issue to sway voters.
"It's somewhat smarter for them to throw out the Muslim Brotherhood thing because it's like, ‘This is a new piece of information that people might have no idea what the Muslim Brotherhood is,’" he said, appearing to frame the tactical mindset of Republican operatives. "'Sounds pretty scary, doesn't it? Terrorist organization. Maybe you don't know the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. Maybe it's got foreign ties to Egypt and he, you know, his family, his family's from Egypt.'"
"So, to respond to that, as bulls--- as it is, and of course, he like knocked it down. But you've got to forget about the a--hole asking you the question," Favreau continued. "You've got to give the answer as if someone who might have a question about a Muslim Brotherhood tie is not necessarily like totally Islamophobic and like that kid or like Trump or like Mike Rogers, but like might have a question, and you don't want — and you don't want to condescend to that person or be like, ‘No, you're an a--hole for asking.’ Right?"
"And I'm not saying he did," he added. "I thought it was a good — I thought he could have used like 20% less condescension in the answer."
Vietor agreed that El-Sayed’s tone could have been better, and replied, "There’s a slightly more empathetic version of that."
Fellow co-host Jon Lovett said, "Stop fighting with that guy and speak to the people that are not."
Favreau recalled his experience working for former President Barack Obama and said that, regardless of whether a characterization of a candidate's statements is fair, candidates and public officials have to be careful about rhetoric and tone when speaking to voters.
"You can say this from the cheap seats, because I am sure when you are Abdul, and you're going around doing this and there are people who are f---ing just calling into question your loyalty to your country that you love, it must f---ing infuriate you," Favreau said. "And it's not fair that what he has to do in response is to eat s--- and just give a nice answer with a smile."
"But like we were there when Barack Obama had to do it, and you know Zohran Mamdani had to do it and like, unfortunately, there's a double standard, and it's unfair, but you still have to do it to win an election anyway and it f---ing sucks," he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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Jesse Arm, vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute and a former pollster who has followed the Michigan Senate race, suggested El-Sayed's confrontational demeanor may be a key reason he is not doing as well against his Republican opponent as the Democratic gubernatorial nominee is doing in her race in Michigan.
"The ‘Pod Save America’ guys are partisan hacks who bend over backward to excuse El-Sayed’s radicalism and dismiss legitimate scrutiny as bigotry. But even they recognize that his nastiness and condescension are deeply off-putting," Arm told Fox News Digital.
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"And if even his most sympathetic defenders can see it, imagine how he comes across to ordinary Michigan voters," he added. "This is a big part of the reason he’s poised to dramatically underperform the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee."
Investor Bill Ackman called the Democratic Party "crazy, radicalized and anti-American" during an interview on Tuesday, arguing that the party is "in a very bad place."
"I think the Democratic Party is in the worst place it's ever been, in the 250-year history of the country," Ackman told Katie Miller, host of the "Katie Miller Podcast." "I think it's become like this crazy, radicalized, you know, anti-American thing. I think it's — and by the way, I think there's some very high-quality Democrats, you know, senators and, sure, some congressmen — but the party itself, I think, is in a very bad place."
Ackman specifically named Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as someone he used to be friendly with but now believes has "compromised" on his values.
FORMER BERNIE SANDERS OPERATIVE WARNS RADICAL LEFT HAS 'OVERTAKEN' THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FROM WITHIN
"And I think the problem with people who've chosen to be a politician for a career, you either have to get with the party in order to continue, or you get primaries," Ackman said. "You know, actually, Senator Schumer, I had a good relationship with him over the years. I thought he was a good man. But in recent years, I felt he's just trying to keep his job."
"And, you know, that's the really low point for politicians when they'll compromise on their values, and they'll support, you know, a quasi-terrorist, perhaps running for Senate in Michigan, because they have to for the party," Ackman said. "Stuff like that to me is, or terrorist supporter, is not, that's, I find that pretty, deeply concerning."
Schumer's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
"Chuck Schumer has been in Washington long enough to know exactly what’s happening to his party. The question isn’t whether he sees it. It’s whether he’s willing to do anything about it," Y. David Scharf, chair of Morrison Cohen’s government strategies and controversies practice, told Fox News Digital of Ackman's remarks.
"There’s something remarkable about watching one of the most powerful Jewish Democrats in America struggle to stand up to the very people in his party who are alienating Jewish voters," he continued. "Bill Ackman isn’t asking Schumer to become a Republican. He’s asking him to act like the Democrat he spent decades telling us he was."
EX-DSA MEMBER RIPS ABDUL EL-SAYED AND WARNS FAR-LEFT ADOPTING POLITICS OF FOREIGN TERROR ORG
Ackman appeared to reference Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has faced questions over his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed's campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The controversy followed a Washington Free Beacon report about social media posts in which El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, described her family's history with the Muslim Brotherhood.
In one 2012 post, Abdelhadi described a conversation with her and El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Elkomy, about her involvement with the organization during college in Egypt.
"Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early '70s while she was in college #respect," she posted to X.
El-Sayed has denied any family connections to the group. During a recent interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," El-Sayed rejected the assertions when asked to set the record straight.
"I have no ties; we have no ties," El-Sayed said.
During a town hall on Saturday, El-Sayed responded to a man identified as Tommy, asking him whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood.
"Sure," El-Sayed said. "Yeah, absolutely. But I want to ask the question that you're asking: Why are you asking the question?"
Ackman has also previously voiced his opposition to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, criticizing his policies as harmful to the city.
"I'm not a fan," he responded. "He's very smart, very charismatic, very good at politics, but I think the decisions he's making are very bad for New York."
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When asked if he'd consider running for mayor, Ackman responded, "I would say possibly, but I think I could achieve a lot more by helping a very talented person do that job."
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is taking heat from the left yet again, this time over a report urging her staff to probe Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's potential ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Semafor reported Sunday that Weiss "personally advocated for CBS News journalists to pursue numerous story angles related to El-Sayed’s supposed sympathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood."
The report cited two anonymous CBS News staffers who were aggrieved by Weiss' directive. Anonymous CBS News staffers complaining about their boss to liberal media outlets has become commonplace in the media industry.
NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham believes disgruntled CBS News employees constantly offering anonymous quotes to liberal publications in an effort to smear Weiss "helps reinforce" the longstanding bias toward the left.
"She’s making them do difficult things," Graham told Fox News Digital.
"Can we look into whether Abdul El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, like his family says they do? How dare you," Graham quipped. "You’re not supposed to do stories that might make Democrats look bad."
While Weiss’ defenders have suggested staffers are essentially irked that she asked them to do journalism, progressives lashed out against Weiss over the latest report.
"A rightwing, pro-Israel, anti-Muslim troll who has zero qualifications to be running national TV network is in fact running a national TV network and trying to get it to behave like a rightwing, pro-Israel, anti-Muslim troll," far-left Zeteo founder and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan reacted on X.
"No self-respecting journalist should work for Bari Weiss," The Nation correspondent Jeet Heer wrote.
"Nobody should respect or trust ANYTHING coming out of @CBSNews at this point," far-left activist Shaun King exclaimed.
Notably, CBS News largely refrained from covering the controversy that blew up last week when unearthed social media posts from his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, claimed their family, including their mother, had ties to the controversial Islamist group after he flatly denied there was any connection to NBC's Kristen Welker.
"Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect," Abdelhadi wrote in a 2012 X post, as first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
Their mother, Fatten Elkomy, had attended Egypt's Alexandria University, which, according to a report from the Brookings Institution, had strong Muslim Brotherhood activity back in the 1970s.
In another 2012 post, Abdelhadi, a professor at the University of Chicago, wrote, "My family has long been MB, but I've always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively."
In a third post from 2013, she wrote, "Praying for all my family that supports the #MB in #Egypt. Lie low, stay safe."
Graham feels that CBS News staffers who didn’t want to look into the El-Sayed story must find it "wildly offensive" to even consider a conservative point of view.
"They object [to] the idea that they have to be somehow a little bit fair and balanced," Graham said.
As for El-Sayed, he recently doubled down on his denial during a contentious exchange with NBC's Tom Llamas.
"It's funny to me," El-Sayed responded. "I was born in 1984 down the street in Rochester Hills. I was raised here in Michigan, went to the University of Michigan, rebuilt the health department in this city, led the health department in this county — and you want to ask me about what's happening in Egypt in 1970? Are you serious?"
"I get it, but you were asked a question, and you gave an answer," Llamas responded.
"I have no ties, we have no ties," El-Sayed said, reiterating his denial.
CBS CHIEF BARI WEISS' INVOLVEMENT IN VIRAL EL-SAYED REPORT SPARKS DEBATE AMONG CRITICS
The Democratic hopeful told Llamas he hadn't had conversations with his mother about her alleged Muslim Brotherhood activity and accused the anchor of using "hearsay evidence from a tweet."
"That's just not serious," El-Sayed said.
"But you've also gone after the president for truthfulness and when people ask you a question, do you expect the truth?" Llamas then asked.
"Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying?" El-Sayed fired back.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking," Llamas responded.
"And I'm telling you that I was not," El-Sayed told him.
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In an interview on MS NOW, El-Sayed likened the questions about his family allegiances to ones John F. Kennedy faced as a Catholic while running for president in 1960.
During an interview with ABC News released on Monday, Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed responded to a question on why he believes it’s so ridiculous to ask him if he believes Iran is a bigger threat than Israel
The post El-Sayed: Israel and Iran Like if Your Friend Poked a Bear, ‘Both’ Caused Danger, Israel ‘Not Actually Our Friend’ appeared first on Breitbart.
During an interview with ABC News released on Monday, Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed responded to a question on whether he will condemn Iran’s current regime by stating that “this idea of like, condemn or not condemn” is
The post El-Sayed: ‘Odd Approach’ to Ask if I Condemn Iran’s Regime appeared first on Breitbart.
Republicans made their pitch to Michigan voters at a Fox News town hall Monday night, with GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers arguing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is vulnerable among Black and Jewish voters as one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races enters its final two weeks.
Fox News host Sean Hannity also spoke with Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., as the candidates sought to tie Michigan Democrats to government spending, socialism and the party's progressive wing ahead of Nov. 3.
Early on in the night, Rogers argued that his opponent, El-Sayed, could underperform among a handful of key demographics that traditionally support Democratic candidates, presenting political opportunities for Republicans.
EL-SAYED GRILLED ON PIKER, ISRAEL AND SOCIALIST TIES AFTER MIKE ROGERS SKIPS SENATE DEBATE
Hannity pressed Rogers about El-Sayed's past criticism of former President Barack Obama, whom El-Sayed described as "not the right choice" to advance a progressive agenda following Obama's 2012 re-election.
"He is dismissive in Detroit. We have just dozens of black pastors that we have talked to, neighborhood leaders in the city of Detroit that we’ve talked to. They’re looking for a change," Rogers said.
Notably, Obama is scheduled to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit on Oct. 24 and has released a video urging voters to support the Democratic nominee.
ROGERS WARNS MICHIGAN VOTERS AGAINST EL-SAYED’S ‘EXTREME’ AGENDA AHEAD OF ELECTION
Rogers argued the Jewish community could present a unique opportunity for Republicans amid El-Sayed's criticism of Israel.
Recently, El-Sayed declined to answer whether he viewed Iran or Israel as a greater threat.
"I think both of them have proven dangerous in their own way. One, at risk of attacking us. One, getting us into wars we have no business fighting," El-Sayed said in a recent debate.
Rogers noted that if only half of Jewish Democratic voters in Michigan felt alienated by El-Sayed’s remarks enough to support his campaign, it would provide a significant boost.
"There are about 70,000 Jewish Democrats. If we get half of them to vote for us, which we think — we had an event last night. Had over 1,000 people at it. We’re fired up and excited and scared for their children, by the way. They’re afraid for their children. They’re with us, and they’re going to vote, we think, 35,000 votes out of the Jewish Democrat — these are normally solid Democratic votes."
"That’s changing the dynamic," Rogers added.
MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL WILL HAUNT FLANAGAN IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE RACE, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN WARNS
Rep. John James, R-Mich., the state’s Republican candidate for governor, also appeared with Hannity, presenting his pitch to attendees on what he would do differently if elected.
Alongside promises to reshape education, James promised to create more scrutiny around government programs and expenses.
"Michigan is spending 50% more right now under Gretchen Whitmer than we spent under Rick Snyder’s administration, the last Republican, and $20 billion more per year than at the height of the pandemic."
"Michigan does not have a taxation problem. Michigan has a spending problem," James added.
Snyder left office in 2019.
James also raised concerns about potential fraud in Michigan, drawing comparisons to Minnesota's sprawling taxpayer-funded fraud investigations.
"If a 19-year-old journalist named Nick Shirley can find $9 billion of fraud in Minnesota, a state with 50% of our population and 60% of our budget, what do you think he can find here?" James said, referring to a videographer who had become famous for investigating Somali fraud rings.
Shirley drew national attention to suspected fraud involving Minnesota childcare providers, although he did not uncover $9 billion in fraud. That figure came from former federal prosecutor Joe Thompson, who estimated last year that fraud across 14 high-risk Medicaid programs could total $9 billion or more. Minnesota officials have disputed the estimate. Federal and state investigators in Minnesota have uncovered fraud involving taxpayer-funded childcare, food assistance and healthcare programs, including schemes in which defendants allegedly billed the government for services they never provided.
OBAMA'S STAR POWER GETS A REALITY CHECK FROM BLACK VOTERS IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE: 'IT'S A TURNOFF'
At the close of Hannity’s town hall, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the House GOP conference chair, accused Democrats of hiding their true character.
"I don’t even call them Democrats anymore; it’s the Communist Party," McClain said.
"They want to pack the Supreme Court, they want to abolish the police, they want to let people out of prisons."
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With primaries in the rearview mirror, Michigan heads to the polls alongside the rest of the country on Nov. 3.
Monday on ABC’s “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin said President Donald Trump’s remarks calling Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist is Islamophobic and despicable. Hostin said, “I loved that comparison because when John F. Kennedy was asked,
The post Hostin: Trump Calling El-Sayed a Jihadist ‘Islamophobic’ and ‘Despicable’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers took aim at Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed during a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, warning voters that his rival's policies would hurt the state.
Rogers accused El-Sayed of having a "pattern of deception" and called him a "manufactured candidate," claiming the Democrat has misrepresented his political positions.
"He is the most extreme candidate. He has called for defunding the police. He has called for letting criminals out of prison," Rogers said.
TRUMP TAKES BORDER CRACKDOWN TO DEEP-RED STATE AS SHOCK SENATE BATTLE THREATENS GOP STRONGHOLD
"He has called for the Green New Deal, which for Michigan is a killer."
Rogers also touted his campaign's ground operation, saying volunteers are approaching 6 million doors knocked across Michigan.
"That's the energy, and what we're getting off of those doors is, 'Yes, we're voting,' 'No, we're not going to be a DSA state,' 'No, we're not going to let this happen on our watch.'"
The Republican also said his campaign is seeing support from voters who traditionally back Democrats.
Rogers later took questions from voters, including a Jewish woman who said she sometimes feels afraid to show her Jewish identity in public.
Rogers said he had heard similar stories from Jewish students at the University of Michigan who said they concealed religious symbols because they were being harassed.
Rogers also pointed to housing, education and skilled trades, saying he wants to make it easier for young adults to buy homes and bring more defense industry work to the state.
'THE VIEW' CO-HOSTS DEFEND EL-SAYED COMPARING HIMSELF TO JFK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SCRUTINY
He also called for putting shop classes back in Michigan high schools, arguing that expanding skilled-trade education would give students more paths to well-paying careers.
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Rogers closed by again targeting El-Sayed's policies, arguing Michigan "cannot afford" them.
"We certainly can't risk his ideology," he said.
El-Sayed's campaign could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
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