Michigan Senate Candidate Posts 9/11 Tribute While Campaign Ally Called Attack Deserved

Clear Facts

• Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed posted a 9/11 remembrance message sparking immediate backlash over his ongoing association with progressive streamer Hasan Piker
• Piker has repeatedly stated on camera that America “deserved 9/11” and declared “I hate America”
• El-Sayed has refused to disavow Piker despite widespread criticism from conservatives and national Republican organizations

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, ignited fierce criticism after posting his 9/11 remembrance message while maintaining close ties to a controversial far-left figure who has publicly claimed America deserved the terrorist attacks. The hypocrisy was not lost on conservative observers.

“They didn’t just attack America that day they attacked the idea of America,” El-Sayed said in his post.

“The notion of a nation brought together by ideals — a place where freedom and commitment to justice bind us, even if, at times, we struggle to fully realize it. Today on 9/11 we remember the lives that were taken from us in a terrible act of terrorism.”

Conservative social media users immediately pointed out El-Sayed’s close friendship and campaign relationship with Hasan Piker, the progressive streamer who has gained notoriety for repeatedly claiming the United States “deserved 9/11.” The contrast between El-Sayed’s public tribute and his refusal to distance himself from Piker struck many as deeply dishonest.

“Shut up, you FRAUD,” the Libs of TikTok account responded.

Steve Guest, a frequent political commentator and former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted a picture of Piker and El-Sayed standing together.

“This you?” Guest wrote.

He included one of Piker’s most inflammatory quotes on the image.

“‘I hate America… at least I say it with my f—ing chest,'” the picture’s caption read.

“Campaigning with a guy who said we deserved 9/11… his brazen dishonesty makes him all the bigger piece of s—,” GOP consultant Ryan Girdusky posted.

“You’re a disgrace. You remain unwilling to disavow your chief spokesman who said ‘America deserved 9/11,'” National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Joanna Rodriguez wrote.

“You belittled the American lives lost year after year while giving excuses and showing sympathy for terrorists.”

“Good job reading from that script buddy,” GOP digital strategist Mike Hahn added.

Joey Mannarino, co-founder of the Overton Institute, expressed disbelief that El-Sayed has gained momentum in the Senate race.

“How in God’s name is Abdul El-Sayed even close to winning this race? The man campaigns with people who say America deserved 9/11. He is a radical Islamist extremist if I’ve ever seen one. And this is who Michigan wants to put in the Senate?” Mannarino wrote.

El-Sayed has previously offered tepid statements suggesting he doesn’t share all of Piker’s views, but has consistently refused to fully disavow him or end their campaign relationship.

“But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokesperson,” El-Sayed said after Piker called Israel a “Jewish ISIS.”

“And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about.”

Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter with The Washington Free Beacon, noted that El-Sayed’s recent post avoided his usual references to the wars that followed 9/11, a talking point he has frequently used when discussing the terror attack.

“El-Sayed, reading off a teleprompter, gives a statement about 9/11. This time he sticks to just 9/11 and not the ‘War on Terror’ aftermath that he usually mentions in his 9/11 anniversary posts,” Ross wrote.

In past statements, El-Sayed has compared the war on terror to Israel’s military response to Hamas terrorism, drawing moral equivalencies that many Americans find offensive.

“The President’s visit to Israel as it plans a major escalation & invasion of Gaza is already being held up as an endorsement of the violence being unleashed on innocent Palestinians. I can’t help but hear echoes of 9/11. When do we learn that more violence doesn’t fix violence?” El-Sayed wrote in October 2023.

El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on why he continues to associate with Piker or why he refuses to clearly disavow anti-American rhetoric. The silence speaks volumes about where his true loyalties lie.

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