A counterterrorism expert has testified that the Senate candidacy of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed presents homeland security concerns due to familial connections to groups linked with the Muslim Brotherhood and associations with a voter engagement organization the expert stated is tied to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
During a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Muslim Brotherhood threats in the U.S., which was boycotted by all Democratic members of the panel, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questioned Kyle Shideler, a counterterrorism analyst at the Center for Security Policy. Shideler stated that El-Sayed's candidacy does raise such concerns.
Shideler explained that El-Sayed's father-in-law, Jukaku Tayeb, has allegedly been connected to Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups. Tayeb reportedly served as president of CAIR-Michigan and was a member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Founders Committee, a group Shideler characterized as being for individuals highly devoted to ISNA and significant funders. The committee also includes other individuals identified as Muslim Brotherhood members, according to Shideler.
Furthermore, Shideler pointed to El-Sayed's ties to Emgage, an organization that describes itself as a Muslim get-out-the-vote and candidate recruitment group. Shideler testified that Emgage has close ties to CAIR and was founded by a former CAIR member who was reportedly once on a terror watchlist and consulted for convicted terrorist Sami al-Arian.
In 2006, al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). In 2012, The Times of Israel reported on then-Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., speaking at a fundraiser hosted by Khurrum Wahid, described in the article as being on the federal terror watch list and a legal defender of terrorism suspects.
Cruz also inquired about the "Red-Green Alliance" and the links between radical Islam and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Shideler affirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood partners with groups like the DSA. He further stated that this alliance is united by a hatred of Western civilization, democracy, and capitalism, and advocates for the overthrow of the U.S. Constitution.
Shideler affirmed during the hearing that the Muslim Brotherhood maintains active chapters or cells within the United States.
El-Sayed has previously faced criticism for his associations, including remarks made by far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who reportedly said the U.S. deserved the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. El-Sayed also declined to comment on the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing mourning neighbors in Dearborn, which has a significant Muslim population.
A review by Fox News Digital indicated that El-Sayed, whose campaign platform includes removing "money from politics," has accepted donations from at least 41 individuals with ties to CAIR, including Tayeb.