Senate Leadership Fund calls El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack callous
Senate Leadership FundRepublican super PAC that spends on U.S. Senate races, in a press release
Senate Leadership Fund said in a September 23 press release that El-Sayed's "hurt people hurt people" response to the March attack on Temple Israel was callous. It said congregants who spoke to The Free Press were backing Mike Rogers because of it.
“In case you missed it, Temple Israel congregants in Metro Detroit told The Free Press that Abdul El-Sayed’s callous “hurt people hurt people” response to the terrorist attack on their synagogue in March drove them to support Mike Rogers this November.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack
After an armed assailant attacked Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed condemned the attack and antisemitism but connected the assailant's actions to an Israeli airstrike that killed members of his family, describing violence as a cycle. Critics said the framing rationalized an antisemitic terrorist attack or shifted responsibility toward Israel and Jews. El-Sayed denied justifying the attack and later apologized for introducing context when the victims needed an unqualified condemnation.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Press release from Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, that summarizes and reproduces excerpts of a September 22, 2026 Free Press article about Temple Israel congregants and the Michigan Senate race.
Before the quotation
The release reproduces excerpts of a September 22 Free Press article. That article reports that El-Sayed said "Hurt people, hurt people" in a video message posted the day after the March attack, and that he apologized in late August, saying he had been trying to offer context.
After the quotation
The excerpted article says Rogers has made El-Sayed's response to the attack a recurring theme on the campaign trail, and that Temple Israel reopened its sanctuary and school this month after a renovation of nearly six months.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case looks at El-Sayed's framing of the Temple Israel attack as part of a cycle of violence. Senate Leadership Fund calls that response callous and says congregants told The Free Press it drove them to back his opponent. That is direct criticism of the framing, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Abdul El-Sayed
More from this case
Read the full caseEl-Sayed disputes claim that he failed to condemn attack
“I did condemn it”Read statement
Rogers renews criticism of El-Sayed's attack response
“He can't condemn a terrorist act that happened on our soil in the state of Michigan.”Read statement
Rogers spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet calls El-Sayed's apology fake
“The only reason he issued a fake apology five months later is because the polling told him to”Read statement
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- Senate Leadership Fund calls El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack callous
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The Dispute Index. "Senate Leadership Fund calls El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack callous". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3357-senate-leadership-fund-said-in-a-september-23