As the nation gears up to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, is facing renewed scrutiny over his past remarks on the tragedy. El-Sayed, who has positioned himself as a leader of a progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has been grappling with the implications of his deleted social media posts that have resurfaced, inviting a closer look at his views on the attacks.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, has been attempting to adapt to the broader general election audience by distancing himself from certain past statements. This includes his association with Hasan Piker, a popular Twitch streamer who declared that "America deserved 9/11" at one of El-Sayed's campaign events before retracting the remark.
The scrutiny deepens with the emergence of two deleted social media posts, verified by CBS News, that have not been previously reported. In one post from April 2020, El-Sayed compared the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on September 11 to the rising COVID-19 death toll, advocating for a national mobilization akin to the post-9/11 response. He wrote, "because more Americans had died from COVID than in the Sept. 11 attacks, he hoped 'that means we'll spend the next ten years fighting a war for public health & against poverty ... like we launched a global #WaronTerror after 9/11. We could save lives rather than take them.'"
Another deleted post from September 11, 2021, sees El-Sayed mourning the devastation caused by the attacks in New York City and later reflecting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in other countries, writing, "Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I'll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country."
El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson has responded to these allegations, stating, "Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks. Mike Rogers' attempts to misrepresent Abdul's beliefs are bad-faith lies meant to mislead Michiganders."
Political consultant Adrian Hemond suggests that El-Sayed's deleted posts could present a significant challenge as he navigates the sensitive topic of the 9/11 attacks. Hemond notes, "El-Sayed has what I call a 'Quacks like a duck problem.' There's enough quacking going on, sort of directionally, that it has raised questions for a lot of people, and he hasn't done a very good job addressing those questions."
The anniversary of the attacks presents an opportunity for El-Sayed to reassure moderate voters without alienating the progressive activists who are a significant part of his political coalition. Progressive strategist Kristian Ramos emphasizes the importance of the Arab vote in Michigan and the impact of current global events on public perception.
Political scientist Matt Grossmann at Michigan State University argues that while El-Sayed's deleted social media posts are unlikely to severely damage his campaign, they contribute to a narrative pushed by his opponent, former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, that El-Sayed holds fringe views.
Democratic strategist Joel Payne suggests that the scrutiny of El-Sayed's past rhetoric may hinder his ability to effectively attack his opponent, former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. Payne states, "Right now, I think what that's created for him is that [his non-conventional voice] is what people want to talk about, as opposed to him executing an economic case against Mike Rogers."
As the election campaign progresses, the focus on El-Sayed's deleted tweets and past remarks on the 9/11 attacks is likely to remain a contentious issue, potentially shaping the narrative of the Michigan Senate race.
(0)