Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed got visibly upset during a heated exchange with Republican opponent Mike Rogers over allegations involving the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers challenged the Michigan Democrat’s record on police funding before bringing up an appeal to Egypt’s former president. El-Sayed denied belonging to the organization and accused Rogers of questioning his loyalty to the Constitution. Rogers pushed back, invoking his family’s military service and accusing his opponent of trying to portray himself as a victim.
The confrontation unfolded during the candidates’ second Michigan Senate debate on Wednesday, October 21st, as a discussion of law enforcement turned into a personal dispute. Rogers argued for cooperation between federal agencies and local authorities to combat gun and gang crime. He accused El-Sayed of supporting efforts to defund police and deleting material documenting those positions, pointing to videos, comments and podcasts.
“I will tell you this: he did call for defunding the police, and how we found it is he deleted all of this material,” Rogers said. “Why would you do that? Why would you go through and take all of that time to delete all of the material?” He continued, “Why? Because he was passionate about defunding the police.”
Rogers then brought up former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood figure, accusing El-Sayed of asking him to defund police in Egypt. As Fox News reported, Rogers was referring to a 2012 letter reportedly signed by El-Sayed that called on the Egyptian president to purge the country’s police force. Rogers finished his accusation by declaring, “I mean, it’s unbelievable.”
“Let’s actually just talk about this. Let’s talk about this,” El-Sayed responded. “He keeps raising this question about this association with an organization I’ve never been a part of,” he continued, before referring to his mother, whom he described as a nurse in Missouri. “It doesn’t make any sense, and it’s actually really quite beneath you, Mike. It’s really quite beneath you.”
As the candidates spoke over one another, El-Sayed repeatedly insisted on continuing his answer. “I’m talking. I’m talking. I’m talking,” he said during the exchange. He asked for additional time: “Can I have a few more seconds?” After receiving permission to proceed, El-Sayed returned to the accusation that Rogers was questioning his constitutional commitments.
Watch the candidates clash over the Muslim Brotherhood allegations here:
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“To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you,” El-Sayed said. “I am proud of America. I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray.” He continued, “And the question that you would ask that, I think, is actually really quite shameful.”
Rogers received 30 seconds for a rebuttal and began by citing his own service and that of his relatives. He mentioned his son, wife, brother and father while defending the right to worship freely. “So you could pray any way you want,” Rogers told El-Sayed, “and I know you want to make this about you being a victim.” Voters will decide the race November 3rd.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.