Deleted 9/11 tweet resurfaces

Michigan Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny after a since-deleted tweet from the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks resurfaced, as reported by the New York Post. In the tweet, El-Sayed wrote: "Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my faith." He continued, "Tomorrow, I’ll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetrated ignorantly in the name of my country." The reference appeared to point to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as conflict in Pakistan during the 2000s, the Post reported.

The tweet, first uncovered by the Washington Free Beacon, has been preserved on the Wayback Machine, according to the Post. The exact timing of its removal is unclear, but the resurfaced message has drawn attention as the country approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

El-Sayed's campaign told CBS News, as reported by the Post: "Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks." The campaign also said, "Mike Rogers’ attempts to misrepresent Abdul’s beliefs are bad-faith lies meant to mislead Michiganders." The Post said it contacted El-Sayed's campaign for comment.

Campaign ties to Hasan Piker

El-Sayed has also faced questions about his association with far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who has roughly 10 million social media followers, according to Fox News. El-Sayed stumped with Piker on the final day of his Democratic primary campaign, and Piker stated at an April rally, "The reason why, when Abdul asked for me to come on this journey with him, I said yes, absolutely." In a Friday interview with Semafor columnist David Weigel, Piker said El-Sayed asked him to 'stump' for the campaign, Fox News reported.

When asked about Piker's influence, El-Sayed told reporters the race is about Michigan and that he is "not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California." He added, "But I don’t want to have a conversation about a Twitch streamer in California. This is not a serious conversation." Pressed on why he had brought Piker to Michigan, El-Sayed called Piker "a single streamer from California" when asked if he would condemn him, as reported by Fox News.

In a statement, El-Sayed said: "I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople." This response followed outrage over a viral audio clip involving Jewish Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, which drew attention to Piker's past remarks, Fox News reported.

Piker's controversial remarks and Democratic backlash

Piker has become a flashpoint within the Democratic Party over past comments, including his 2019 claim that "America deserved 9/11," which he later described as "inappropriate," according to the Post. He was also spotted with a framed front page showing the Twin Towers after the 2001 attack, the Post reported. Fox News reported that Piker defended Hezbollah, praised the 'brave mujahideen' who injured Rep. Dan Crenshaw, and contended that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack was a "direct consequence" of Israeli actions. Piker also said that if Hamas engaged in rape, it "doesn’t change the dynamic for me," according to the Post.

Several Democratic figures have publicly criticized Piker, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Jacky Rosen, as reported by the Post. Sen. John Fetterman told Fox News' Sean Hannity: "I just want to issue a dare, continue to campaign with Hasan Piker right now. You're in a general election now, I dare you, I dare you." Rep. Brad Schneider said in a statement, as carried by the Post: "Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has so far refused to condemn the words of Hasan Piker, his friend and frequent campaign surrogate."

Reactions on social media

The clip of El-Sayed's comments drew criticism from various figures, as reported by Fox News. Writer and political commentator Stephen L. Miller wrote on X: "Amazing. They are so terrified of him that she literally jumps in one question deep." Republican political strategist Kyle Martinsen posted, "This keeps getting worse." Townhall senior columnist Kurt Schlichter wrote, "I’m interested in it so there’s a problem here." Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show," posted: "It’s very clear Abul El Sayed is panicking. He went from doing a half dozen campaign stops with Hasan Piker and taking glamor shots with him, to refusing to say his name. Now he's just ‘some media person in ’ What a pal." Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted, "He might be worse than Kamala…" Pro-Israel activist Adam Milstein wrote, "El Sayed again refuses to condemn Hasan Piker — who himself recently confirmed it was El Sayed to campaign for him, not the reverse."

Outlook

El-Sayed will face Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers for retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ seat in a race that could determine control of the Senate, according to Fox News.