El-Sayed, Rogers Clash Over Muslim Brotherhood Accusations in Senate Debate

During a fiery Michigan U.S. Senate debate Wednesday night, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed vehemently denied accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, clashing sharply with Republican Sen. Mike Rogers. Rogers attempted to link El-Sayed to the organization and questioned his stance on law enforcement funding.

Rogers referenced a 2012 letter, reported by The Washington Free Beacon, that El-Sayed signed. The letter called on the then-Egyptian president, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, to reform the nation's police force. "He asked the Muslim Brotherhood, excuse me, head Morsi in Egypt, to defund the police there, too. I mean, it's unbelievable," Rogers stated.

El-Sayed responded passionately, refuting the allegations and expressing his disappointment with Rogers' line of questioning. "To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you," El-Sayed said. "I am proud of America. I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray. And the question — that you would ask that — I think is actually really quite shameful. As somebody who's actually served under that Constitution, it is shameful."

El-Sayed also addressed resurfaced social media posts from his half-sister, which alleged his mother's involvement in Muslim Brotherhood activism in the 1970s. El-Sayed has maintained that he has no personal or family ties to the organization and was not raised by his biological mother.

Rogers continued to press the issue, framing it as a matter of ideology. "This is about an ideology. An ideology that's banned in five Muslim countries, an ideology that is banned in another six different countries," he said. "An ideology that is very concerning to law enforcement in the United States because they use it for funding overseas operations."

There is no evidence to suggest El-Sayed has any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign has previously stated that he was not raised by his mother, who has been described as a nurse in Missouri and was allegedly involved in activism in the 1970s. El-Sayed himself has invoked John F. Kennedy to dismiss what he called "crazy" questions about his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.