In the last stretch of a Michigan Senate race, two candidates faced the same questions about loyalty and faith, each answering in a way that asked voters to decide who could be trusted with a country's conscience. Eleven days before the vote, the dispute turned on a decade-old letter, a family lawsuit that proves nothing on its own, and the old human fear that a citizen's private prayer might be read as a public allegiance. It is a familiar drama in a democracy: charges about hidden ties, denials under pressure, and the slow work of voters weighing words against record.
Michigan Senate Rivals Clash Over Muslim Brotherhood Allegations as Rogers Presses El-Sayed on Ideology
In the last stretch of a Michigan Senate race, two candidates faced the same questions about loyalty and faith, each answering in a way that asked voters to decide who could be trusted with a country's conscience. Eleven days before the vote, the dispute turned on a decade-old letter, a family lawsuit that proves nothing on its own, and the old human fear that a citizen's private prayer might be read as a public allegiance. It is a familiar drama in a democracy: charges about hidden ties, denials under pressure, and the slow work of voters weighing words against record.
On a Friday in Detroit, eleven days before the November 3 election, Michigan's two Senate candidates each sat down separately with Bret Baier of Fox News. The conversations ranged across the Iran war, health care, and the state's struggling economy, but the sharpest moments centered on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and allegations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Baier pressed El-Sayed about a 2012 letter, reported by the Washington Free Beacon, that backed decisions by Mohamed Morsi. El-Sayed interrupted, saying the question was meant to cast doubt on his loyalty. "I will be loyal to the Constitution of the United States," he said, and he has denied any personal or family ties to the group. His half-sister's social media posts about their mother have also drawn scrutiny, and he says he was raised by his father and stepmother.
Republican Mike Rogers rejected that account. He recalled that his own family has worn the uniform, and said, "It is not how he prays, it's how he thinks." When asked whether El-Sayed truly disavows the group, Rogers pointed back to the Oct. 17 town hall, where El-Sayed had answered, "Sure. Yeah, absolutely." The lawsuit involving El-Sayed's sister-in-law, over an alleged watchlist placement, does not establish wrongdoing, and the FBI has neither confirmed nor denied her status.
The candidates also clashed on policy. El-Sayed blamed the Iran war for higher gas and grocery prices and backs a war powers resolution. Rogers defended the original rationale but has urged Trump to end the conflict. On the economy, Rogers cited 27,000 lost manufacturing jobs and credited Trump's trade policy with bringing Silverado production back to Michigan. El-Sayed backs guaranteed public insurance for all, while Rogers warned it would cost Michigan families.
With the final stretch underway, both candidates are turning to national figures. Trump and Obama are both expected in Michigan this weekend.
On a Friday in Detroit, 11 days before the Nov. 3 election, Michigan's two Senate candidates sat down separately with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier for "Special Report." The interviews ranged across war powers, health care and the economy, but the sharpest moments came over allegations about Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Baier pressed El-Sayed about a 2012 statement involving Mohamed Morsi, the former Egyptian president who was affiliated with the Brotherhood. El-Sayed cut in before the question was finished, saying it was meant to raise doubts about whether he has dual loyalties. Baier replied that he was asking about allegations raised by Republican Mike Rogers' campaign. "I will be loyal to the Constitution of the United States," El-Sayed said. He then told the anchor not to be Rogers' campaign and to be a journalist. Baier answered that he was asking a question, and that he was a journalist. El-Sayed also accused Rogers of making his Muslim faith a campaign issue, calling that "sad" and "beneath him."
The controversy rests partly on a 2012 letter that The Washington Free Beacon reported El-Sayed signed. According to that report, the letter backed decisions by Morsi, including calls to purge Egypt's police and media. El-Sayed has also faced scrutiny over social media posts by his half-sister, who described their mother's alleged involvement in Muslim Brotherhood activism in the 1970s. He has denied personal or family ties to the group and says he was raised by his father and stepmother.
In an Oct. 17 Fox News interview, El-Sayed acknowledged that his sister-in-law was a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging her alleged placement on a terrorist watchlist. He insisted she had done nothing wrong. The FBI declined to confirm or deny her status, and the lawsuit does not establish wrongdoing.
Rogers rejected El-Sayed's account of the dispute. "I wore the uniform of the United States," he said, noting that many in his family, including their son, did as well, "so he can pray any way he wants." He added: "It is not how he prays, it's how he thinks." Rogers alleged that El-Sayed "has adopted the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood." When Baier noted that El-Sayed had denied ever belonging to the group and pledged allegiance to the Constitution, Rogers asked, "Does he disavow? Does he really say it?" At the Oct. 17 town hall, El-Sayed had been asked exactly that and answered, "Sure. Yeah, absolutely."
The two also split on the war with Iran. El-Sayed blamed it for rising gasoline and grocery prices and called for a war powers resolution to end what he described as an illegal, unjustifiable war waged by the president. Rogers defended the original rationale for military action but said he has urged President Donald Trump to wrap it up.
On the economy, Rogers said Michigan has lost 27,000 manufacturing jobs and has some of the highest auto insurance costs in the country. He claimed roughly two-thirds of fourth graders cannot read at grade level. He credited Trump's trade policies with encouraging General Motors to bring Silverado pickup production back to the state, and pointed to Trump's support among voters. He did break with Trump on Canada, saying the tariffs should not be handled the way they are.
Baier asked El-Sayed about Medicare-for-all and whether middle-class taxes would rise. El-Sayed said he is fine with people keeping private insurance but wants guaranteed public insurance for everyone. Rogers countered that the plan would eliminate private insurance and raise costs for Michigan families.
El-Sayed pointed to upcoming appearances with former President Barack Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders, and questioned whether Trump would help Rogers in Michigan. Trump and Obama are both expected in the state over the weekend, as each candidate leans on a party figurehead for the final stretch before Election Day.
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