Mike Rogers Accuses Press of Eagerness to Defend Senate Rival Abdul El-Sayed
The Michigan Republican Senate candidate clashed with CNN's Dana Bash, questioning media coverage of his Democratic opponent's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers asserted on CNN's "State of the Union" that the press is "eager" to shield his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, from scrutiny regarding his ideology and family's alleged past support for the Muslim Brotherhood.
During an interview with host Dana Bash, Rogers criticized El-Sayed, pushing back as Bash pressed him to comment on President Donald Trump's remarks calling El-Sayed a "jihadist." Rogers stated that while he has not personally labeled El-Sayed a terrorist, concerns over El-Sayed's ideology and his family's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood are legitimate.
"He has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which, by the way, diminishes women's role in society, just as they did when they took over in Egypt in 2012 and 2013," Rogers said. "He supported that regime."
Rogers also suggested that the press should investigate El-Sayed's past statements, including calls for the "purging of the press" and "purging of police."
The exchange intensified when discussing a video clip of El-Sayed responding to questions about disavowing the Muslim Brotherhood. Bash characterized El-Sayed's response as "Sure, yes," but Rogers disputed this, framing it as an issue with El-Sayed's broader ideology.
"No, that's not true. Dana, listen —" Rogers began, before Bash interjected, "I don't want to debate with you."
"I don't know why the press is so eager for him to protect this guy," Rogers remarked. Bash responded, "Congressman, I just want to be factual." Rogers concluded, "And it is. It's an ideology. My argument is, is that ideology something we should worry about? I think it is."
El-Sayed's campaign has denied the accusations of Muslim Brotherhood ties, calling Rogers' claims "racist and untrue." A statement from El-Sayed's campaign asserted that "independent fact checkers have repeatedly debunked Mike’s lies" and that Rogers is attempting to distract from economic issues.
A review of media transcripts indicated that some news organizations were hesitant to report on the initial allegations concerning El-Sayed's family, with coverage often limited to El-Sayed's denials. El-Sayed has previously faced questions about whether America is ready for a Muslim president as he campaigns for the Senate.