Daniel Samet’s claim that Abdul El-Sayed’s associations show sympathy for terrorist causes
AEI’s Daniel Samet tells Fox News that Abdul El-Sayed’s associations show sympathy for terrorist causes and that he would “empower” America’s enemies in the Senate. Mehdi Hasan calls the coverage “disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
The fixed reference point for classification in this case is Daniel Samet’s characterization, in a Fox News Digital article (opens in a new tab) published September 20, 2026, of Abdul El-Sayed as having associated with people who support the intifada and terrorist causes and shown sympathy for radical Islamist ideology — a characterization the article reports as Samet’s argument rather than as a direct quotation — such that he would “undermine America and empower its enemies” in the Senate, which is a direct quotation. Responses are recorded against that characterization of El-Sayed, not against whether the individuals named in the article (a rally introducer, a cleric, an endorser) in fact made the statements attributed to them, which this record does not independently verify; those attributions rest on Fox News Digital’s reporting.
The article was promoted on X by Fox News Politics (opens in a new tab); Mehdi Hasan quote-posted it (opens in a new tab), calling it “disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering.” This case is separate from Mike Rogers’s specific campaign-financing and 9/11 allegations against El-Sayed, which are recorded in other cases.
People in this case
Abdul El-SayedDirectly involved
Mehdi HasanCommented
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 2. Dates: September 20, 2026
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
1 response on this page
Mehdi Hasan"Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here, even by Fox standards. We would never allow this for a Black or Jewish politician."
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) on X: “Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here…”Post text (quote-post of Fox News Politics’s post).Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) on X: “Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed could become eligible for access to classified information…” · Fox NewsPost text.CondemnedCase context: Daniel Samet’s claim that Abdul El-Sayed’s associations show sympathy for terrorist causes
Why this label?
Hasan directly criticizes the coverage that carries Samet’s characterization of El-Sayed, calling it bigotry and scare-mongering. That rejects the characterization. The closest competing label is challenges_characterization, because Hasan disputes how the coverage frames El-Sayed; it loses because he goes further, condemning the coverage itself as bigoted rather than only disputing a specific description.
This label describes the statement’s response within the context above.
Read context and background
Quote-posting Fox News Politics’s promotion of the article, Mehdi Hasan wrote, “Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here, even by Fox standards. We would never allow this for a Black or Jewish politician.”
Role at the time: Journalist, editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, posting on his own X account
Before the statement
Hasan quote-posted Fox News Politics’s own promotional post for the article, which said the issue was “drawing scrutiny from national security and policy experts, who point to El-Sayed’s past associations and statements.”
After the statement
Hasan’s post did not name Samet or address the specific individuals or associations cited in the article.
Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) on X: “Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here…”Post text (quote-post of Fox News Politics’s post).
Sources
(3)
Reporting
El-Sayed’s Senate bid raises new concerns over a powerful privilege that comes with the job
Relevant passage: Paragraphs quoting Daniel Samet and campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak.
Excerpt
"Anyone refusing to disavow America-hater Hasan Piker should never be elected to Congress. El-Sayed will use his perch in the Senate to undermine America and empower its enemies."
About this source
Fox News Digital’s report, published September 20, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. EDT, on national-security concerns raised about Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate candidacy. It quotes Daniel Samet directly and reports his characterization of El-Sayed’s associations, and quotes campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak’s response.
- Author
- Robert Schmad
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) on X: “Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here…”
Excerpt
"Disgusting anti-Muslim bigotry and scare-mongering here, even by Fox standards. We would never allow this for a Black or Jewish politician."
About this source
Mehdi Hasan’s own post, published at 2:06 p.m. EDT on September 20, 2026, quote-posting Fox News Politics’s promotional post for the article.
- Author
- Mehdi Hasan
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) on X: “Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed could become eligible for access to classified information…”
Excerpt
"The issue is drawing scrutiny from national security and policy experts, who point to El-Sayed’s past associations and statements."
About this source
Fox News’s own promotional post for the article, published at 9:04 a.m. EDT on September 20, 2026, read in full.
- Author
- Fox News Politics
- Published
- Accessed
Corrections
(0)
Corrections address errors in our reporting or labels. When a speaker changes their position, we add a separate statement and link it to the earlier one.
No corrections on this page.