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
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
Daniel SametDirectly involved "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."
Open source (opens in a new tab)El-Sayed’s Senate bid raises new concerns over a powerful privilege that comes with the job · Fox NewsParagraphs quoting Daniel Samet and campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak.Defended or excusedCase context: Daniel Samet’s claim that Abdul El-Sayed’s associations show sympathy for terrorist causes
Why this label?
Samet makes the characterization himself and presents it as fact, saying El-Sayed will “undermine America and empower its enemies” because of his associations. That defends and presses the characterization rather than merely reporting it. The closest competing label is mixed_or_conditional; it loses because Samet states his conclusion (that El-Sayed should not be elected) without qualification.
This label describes the statement’s response within the context above.
Read context and background
Quoted in a Fox News Digital article on Abdul El-Sayed’s eligibility for classified access if elected, Daniel Samet of the American Enterprise Institute said, “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.” The article reported that Samet argued El-Sayed has associated with people who support the intifada and terrorist causes and shown sympathy for radical Islamist ideology.
Role at the time: Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, quoted in Fox News Digital
Before the statement
The article opened by explaining that members of Congress are generally eligible for classified access without a formal security clearance, and reported that this had raised concerns among “national security and policy experts.”
After the statement
The article went on to cite, among other things, El-Sayed’s introduction at a campaign rally by a man it said has praised dead Hezbollah members as “martyr[s],” his sharing a stage with a cleric it said has praised Hamas’s October 7 attack, and his acceptance of an endorsement from a figure it said has praised both Hamas and Hezbollah. It then quoted campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak responding, “Abdul’s running to keep Americans safe and bring down costs for Michigan families,” and pointing to Republican opponent Mike Rogers’s business dealings with companies tied to China and Saudi Arabia; the quoted response did not address Samet’s characterization of El-Sayed’s associations.
El-Sayed’s Senate bid raises new concerns over a powerful privilege that comes with the job · Fox NewsParagraphs quoting Daniel Samet and campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak.
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.