Rogers and Welker Clash Over El-Sayed's Muslim Brotherhood Ties
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers accused the 'Meet the Press' moderator of giving his Democratic opponent a "pass" on questions about the organization.
Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers and "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker engaged in a heated exchange on Sunday, with Rogers accusing Welker of defending his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, regarding allegations about ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Rogers challenged Welker's assertion that El-Sayed had disavowed any connection to the Islamist organization, stating that El-Sayed had dismissed the question. "I don't know why you give this guy a pass," Rogers said during the interview. "You are giving him a pass on something he should be accountable for."
Welker then pressed Rogers on his own past remarks from 2012, where he suggested the U.S. might need to engage with moderate members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers countered that Welker was twisting his words to defend El-Sayed and that his focus at the time, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was on maintaining intelligence cooperation to prevent regional violence.
The exchange further intensified when Welker questioned Rogers about President Donald Trump's characterization of El-Sayed as a terrorist. Welker pointed out the lack of evidence for such claims and reiterated that El-Sayed had denied and disavowed any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers denied ever calling his opponent a terrorist.
Rogers' campaign, through spokesperson Abby Ronson, echoed his criticism, questioning El-Sayed's responses and urging national media to scrutinize his record. Ronson stated, "Abdul is an Oxford-trained debater. Yet every time he’s asked about his support of the Muslim Brotherhood, he deflects, gets angry and dismisses the question. Michiganders deserve an answer on what should be an incredibly easy question to answer."
These allegations stem from reports of connections between El-Sayed, his family, and the Muslim Brotherhood. The Washington Free Beacon reported that El-Sayed was among signatories of a November 2012 letter that supported Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and urged him to purge the country's police and media amid criticism of his expanding presidential powers. El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, has also posted on social media about her family's history with the organization.
El-Sayed has consistently denied any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing Rogers of exploiting his faith for political gain. When questioned by Welker on Oct. 11, El-Sayed stated, "No," when asked if he or his family had any connections to the organization.