Rogers Accuses El-Sayed of Being 'Bought' by Muslim Brotherhood in Michigan Senate Debate

Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers sharply criticized Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed during their second and final debate on Wednesday, accusing him of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and being a national security risk.

Rogers, a former Republican congressman and retired FBI agent, referenced an open letter to the Muslim Brotherhood that El-Sayed reportedly signed in 2012. When asked about it by The New York Times, El-Sayed did not comment.

"So — being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood, having donors to his campaign from Hamas that support Hezbollah, is not a problem?" Rogers stated during the debate. "If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America? Or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? You can grin, and you can smile, and you can talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what, that is a risk to our national security."

El-Sayed, a former public health official, responded by accusing Rogers of questioning his commitment to the Constitution.

"To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you," El-Sayed said.

The debate also saw El-Sayed accuse Rogers of accepting corporate funding and being beholden to donors, while Rogers sought to link El-Sayed, who is Muslim, to Islamic extremism.

In a previous debate, El-Sayed declined to identify whether Iran or Israel posed a greater threat to the United States, calling the question "ridiculous." Rogers, in turn, indicated he would withdraw support for Israel if the country used nuclear weapons.

The race for the Senate seat, vacated by retiring Democrat Gary Peters, is considered one of the most closely contested of the midterm election cycle, with potential implications for which party controls the Senate. Polls have consistently shown the Michigan Senate race as a toss-up, with El-Sayed holding a slight 2-percentage-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.