Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Sunday characterized scrutiny of streamer Hasan Piker's rhetoric regarding Hamas as an "irrelevant distraction." His comments came on NBC's "Meet the Press" as host Kristen Welker pressed him on the issue, playing a clip of Piker stating he would "vote for Hamas over Israel every single time."
Raskin stated, "I don’t even know if Hasan Piker considers himself a Democrat. I know he attacked me for campaigning with Callie Barr and Sean McCann and other Democrats in Michigan. I think all of that is an irrelevant distraction. Obviously, nobody supports Hamas, a terrorist organization which brutally attacked Israel on October 7th."
The remarks from Raskin followed his campaign appearances with Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed has faced ongoing questions about his connections to Piker, with some Democrats publicly distancing themselves from the online personality.
Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed and appeared at several campaign events during the Democratic primary, had previously reiterated his comparison between Hamas and Israel. In an April appearance on "Pod Save America," Piker stated, "I’ve also said I’m a harm reduction voter. I’m a lesser evil voter, and therefore I would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time."
In addition to his comments on Hamas, Piker has drawn criticism for remarks concerning American Jews. Fox News Digital reported that Piker warned on a livestream that if American Jews continued to present themselves as "singularly invested in Israel," someone could eventually "take action" against them.
El-Sayed, responding to previous controversies, has emphasized that Piker is not a spokesperson for his campaign. "I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople," El-Sayed said.
However, El-Sayed has resisted calls to fully disavow Piker. During a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith, El-Sayed indicated that his objective is to engage Piker's large online following in the electoral process rather than alienate them. "What I’m saying is there are three million people who listen to Hasan," El-Sayed stated. "I want to offer them a pathway into an electoral movement."
Other Democratic figures have weighed in on the matter. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., described the attention on Piker as "absolutely ludicrous." Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., suggested that Democrats should engage with Piker's audience despite potential disagreements on some views. Conversely, some Democrats have urged the party to create distance from him.
Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary for the RNC, has criticized Piker's growing role in Democratic politics and his support for socialist candidates, warning that his influence could become a liability for the party. "The Democrat Party is being driven off [a] cliff by socialists who are driving blindfolded while arguing about the view," Baldassarre said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Unless Democrats hit the brakes, every candidate on the ballot will have to answer for socialists’ outrageous beliefs that will bankrupt our country and strip every American of safety, sanity, and freedom."
Piker's past statements have ignited debate within the Democratic Party, highlighting divisions over engagement with figures holding controversial views.