Rogers Accuses Welker of Defending El-Sayed Over Muslim Brotherhood Ties
Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers challenges NBC’s Kristen Welker over El-Sayed’s alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties.
Conlan Houston/Wikimedia Commons
Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers confronted NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday, accusing her of giving Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed a pass regarding allegations about ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The heated exchange centered on El-Sayed’s past statements and family connections to the Islamist organization.
Rogers Challenges Welker on El-Sayed’s Disavowal
During the interview, Welker pressed Rogers about his claims that El-Sayed had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Welker noted that El-Sayed had denied any such ties and had publicly disavowed the organization. Rogers, however, disputed this, stating, “No, he has not, he dismissed the question … I don’t know why you give this guy a pass.” The back-and-forth escalated as both interrupted each other, with Rogers insisting, “You are giving him a pass on something he should be accountable for.”
Welker Highlights Rogers’ Past Remarks, Rogers Responds
Welker brought up Rogers’ own 2012 comments where he suggested engaging with moderate members of the Muslim Brotherhood, questioning whether Rogers acknowledged his prior stance. Rogers accused Welker of twisting his words to protect El-Sayed, clarifying that his focus at the time, as House Intelligence Committee chairman, was on maintaining intelligence cooperation between Egypt and Israel to prevent regional violence. “What you’re doing now is trying to twist this thing to defend your position for letting him lie to you,” Rogers added.
Rogers Denies Calling El-Sayed a Terrorist
Welker also questioned Rogers on President Donald Trump’s description of El-Sayed as a violent terrorist, stating there was no evidence supporting the claim. Rogers firmly denied having called El-Sayed a terrorist himself, saying, “I’ve never called him a terrorist.” The exchange reflected the escalating tensions in the Michigan Senate race, with both candidates under scrutiny for their positions and past statements.
Campaign Statements and Media Scrutiny
Rogers’ campaign further amplified the criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital. Spokesperson Abby Ronson accused El-Sayed of deflecting questions about his support for the Muslim Brotherhood and urged national media to investigate his record more thoroughly. “Abdul is an Oxford-trained debater,” Ronson said. “Yet every time he’s asked about his support of the Muslim Brotherhood, he deflects, gets angry and dismisses the question. Michiganders deserve an answer on what should be an incredibly easy question to answer.” She added, “Why won’t his campaign put out an equivocal [sic] statement disavowing a terrorist organization? The national media should start asking him why that is instead of making excuses for him.”
Background on El-Sayed’s Family and Muslim Brotherhood Allegations
The controversy stems from reports linking El-Sayed and his family to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Washington Free Beacon highlighted that El-Sayed was among 46 Egyptian American community figures who signed a November 2012 letter supporting Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-backed president at the time. The letter urged Morsi to purge Egypt’s police and media amid criticism of his expanding powers. Additionally, social media posts from El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, surfaced, acknowledging their family’s long-standing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdelhadi described in a 2012 post that “My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively.” Another post detailed a conversation with her mother about participating in Muslim Brotherhood activism during college in Egypt in the 1970s.
El-Sayed has denied any personal or family affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, asserting he was raised by his father and stepmother and accusing Rogers of exploiting his Muslim faith for political gain. When questioned by Welker on October 11 during “Meet the Press,” El-Sayed responded simply, “No,” to whether he or his family had any connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Michigan Senate race remains sharply divided as Rogers intensifies scrutiny of El-Sayed’s record, while the Democrat maintains his denials amid national media attention.
