CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford deleted a social media post that criticized Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's response to a voter's question about the Muslim Brotherhood. Crawford initially characterized El-Sayed's reaction as a "spectacular self own."
During a recent town hall, a voter named Tommy asked El-Sayed about alleged family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed responded by first agreeing to disavow the organization but then questioned why the voter was asking him specifically, suggesting it implied dual loyalties based on his background.
"Why would you actually think that about me? Why would you actually think that? Why would you? Have you asked everybody in your life if they disavow them [the Muslim Brotherhood]? So why are you asking me?" El-Sayed stated.
Crawford's deleted post commented on El-Sayed's lengthy response, writing, "Tommy, thank you. I had to watch this twice to catch Dr. Abdul El-Sayed's nanosecond 'yeah absolutely' response. His subsequent uninterrupted three-minute diatribe proving your exact point is the kind of spectacular self own most ppl only dream about triggering. Congrats."
Following backlash from some media figures and analysts who deemed her post biased, Crawford removed it. She later posted an apology, stating, "I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize."
El-Sayed's campaign has previously described allegations about his family's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood as "racist and untrue." However, El-Sayed confirmed in a separate interaction that his sister-in-law was involved in a federal terrorist watchlist lawsuit in 2016, though he stated she was later cleared.