Role at the time: Author and former labor secretary, personal essay
"it’s clear he was merely trying to explain and give context for the violence."
Reich defends El-Sayed's disputed response as an explanation of the violence rather than a justification of the attack.
- First noted
- September 10, 2026
- Published here
- September 10, 2026
- People and groups discussed
- Abdul El-Sayed
Why we used this label
The essay directly rejects the central criticism of El-Sayed's framing; this is more specific than the accompanying electoral endorsement.
Context
Before the quotation
Reich discusses El-Sayed's apology and the criticism of his contextual explanation after the synagogue attack.
After the quotation
The defense is Reich's own; Common Dreams republication is not another reactor. Actual publication time unknown; 12:00 UTC stores the September 9 date only.
Sources
Original personal essay, not a separate reaction by its syndicators. Reich addresses the attack-response controversy within an electoral endorsement. Only the calendar date is established; 12:00 UTC is a date-only storage placeholder, not a verified time.