Tucker Carlson, a conservative media personality, has publicly defended remarks made by Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed regarding the impact of the United States' response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Carlson stated in his media company's newsletter on Friday that El-Sayed, who is seeking to become the first Muslim senator in the U.S., was "obviously right" that America "scarred millions of other people" through its actions following 9/11.
The remarks in question originally came from a 2021 podcast episode, now deleted, where El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official and epidemiologist, discussed the aftermath of the attacks. He argued that while 9/11 profoundly affected the U.S., the subsequent U.S. actions "scarred millions of other people," and that Americans often "fail to center them" when discussing the events.
Carlson pushed back against the idea that El-Sayed's comments were controversial, asserting that "America's response to 9/11 blew the original attack out of the water." He specifically criticized the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, stating that it killed "hundreds of thousands of innocents" and "catalyzed the creation of ISIS," suggesting the civilian death toll was "a conservative estimate" equivalent to "dozens and dozens of 9/11s."
"The terror attacks, perpetrated by al-Qaeda, claimed 2,977 lives," Carlson wrote, contrasting this with the estimated civilian deaths in Iraq. He praised El-Sayed for understanding "the basic concept that murdering hundreds of thousands of people is bad."
Carlson's commentary also targeted Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate challenging El-Sayed for the Senate seat. Rogers had previously described El-Sayed's remarks as "disqualifying" and "disgusting," calling him "completely unfit to serve in public office."
Carlson contended that if Rogers found acknowledging the significant loss of life in Iraq to be "disgusting," then Rogers himself was unfit for office. He further criticized the Iraq War, which he noted was based on a false premise of ties between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda, and stated that the war ultimately contributed to the rise of ISIS.
The Associated Press estimated at least 110,600 violent deaths occurred during the eight-year Iraq War. The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, with a coalition including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, to overthrow Hussein's Ba'athist regime. The stated justifications for the invasion, including alleged links to al-Qaeda, were later found to be false. Al-Qaeda subsequently established a branch in Iraq, which evolved into ISIS.
El-Sayed has recently faced scrutiny for a separate comment made after an attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue. Following reports that the suspect had lost relatives in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon the week prior, El-Sayed remarked, "hurt people hurt people," and called the attack "an evil act of displaced rage." He later issued an apology for these statements.
Carlson, who left Fox News in April 2023, has recently adopted a more independent stance, with content that has often been critical of Israel and the current U.S. administration. He had previously described El-Sayed as "America First" and "literally Trumpian."