Debate spotlights El-Sayed’s alleged ties to Muslim Brotherhood

Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, faced off with his Republican rival, former Rep. Mike Rogers, on Wednesday night for a second debate just days before the midterm elections. The hourlong debate included several heated exchanges, though it was more restrained overall than the pair’s first debate two weeks ago.

Rogers repeatedly accused El-Sayed of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a controversial international Islamist activist group. While some Muslim Brotherhood branches appear to operate peacefully, the Treasury Department flagged chapters in Egypt and Jordan as terror groups earlier this year over their support of Hamas.

Rogers accused El-Sayed of being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood and of receiving donations from Hamas and Hezbollah supporters. That’s a problem and a serious national security risk, said Rogers, who did not name the alleged donors. The Washington Free Beacon reported earlier this month on El-Sayed campaign donors with alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas, and the outlet has also reported on alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood among El-Sayed’s family members.

El-Sayed denied any Muslim Brotherhood ties and eventually gave a pointed response after Rogers raised the issue multiple times. The Democratic candidate said Rogers’ accusations made no sense, and questioning his loyalty to the Constitution was a low tactic. El-Sayed characterized Rogers as a corporate politician in the pocket of President Donald Trump. Rogers may talk a good game but will always bend to Trump in the end, El-Sayed claimed.

Did El-Sayed comment on Iran? Moderators asked candidates whether they believed Iran posed a significant threat to America’s national security. El-Sayed acknowledged that Iran had posed a threat but appeared to suggest that the Trump administration’s military actions against the Middle Eastern country had exacerbated the problem. The Obama administration contained the threat of Iran using diplomacy while the Trump administration chose to make war, he said.

El-Sayed made headlines during a town hall last month when he seemingly refused to condemn Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. When an attendee repeatedly asked El-Sayed to condemn the Iranian regime, the candidate merely stated his support for democratic movements and said the United States should not have interfered in Iran. Iranians should decide for themselves whether to make democratic changes in their country, El-Sayed said.