El-Sayed says Rogers is attacking his mother and sister
Abdul El-SayedDemocratic U.S. Senate nominee in Michigan, at the first televised debate
In his rebuttal, El-Sayed said Rogers was going after his mother and sister to avoid his own record, then turned to his campaign platform.
Responding to
The organization El-Sayed's mother worked for was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaeda.
“He wants this to be about anything but his own record. He's okay if the federal government spies on you, but he wants to make this about anybody else, going after my mom, my sister.”
Original video
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Mike Rogers’s allegation about Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign received funding from a terrorist organization
At a September 10, 2026 Republican National Convention midterm speech, Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers said Abdul El-Sayed was funding his campaign with money from “terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.” Rogers did not name a donor, amount, or campaign-finance filing in the speech. The research documents an outside-support chain involving CAIR Action, Unity & Justice Fund, and a Super PAC supporting El-Sayed, while examining whether any record establishes the specific allegation.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
WOOD TV8's recording of the hourlong Grand Rapids debate between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers, moderated by Rick Albin. During a question on Flock cameras, Rogers raised the possibility of a family member on a watch list, then referred to the organization El-Sayed's mother had worked for.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Mediaite quotes the exchange in which Rogers raised a watch list and the organization El-Sayed's mother worked for, followed by El-Sayed's rebuttal. Its transcript renders a few words differently from the broadcast recording.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Rogers had just said the organization El-Sayed's mother worked for was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaeda. The moderator gave El-Sayed a rebuttal and said the debate was moving away from the subject.
After the quotation
El-Sayed said he was a dad and a doctor trying to get money out of politics and pass Medicare for All. Rogers interjected that he was not really a doctor.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the allegations that El-Sayed has terrorist ties, El-Sayed casts Rogers's remark about his mother as a diversion from Rogers's record. He disputes the framing of the attack without addressing the organization or its designation, so challenging the characterization fits better than a denial.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Mike Rogers
More from this case
Read the full caseHasan Piker calls the accusations against El-Sayed slanderous
“But if you are a competent media organization, you don't raise the salience of heinous and slanderous accusations. Because when you present them as a serious media organization, you're offering legitimacy to the claim.”Read statement
Rogers calls El-Sayed's denial of Brotherhood ties a lie
“This morning, Abdul El-Sayed was asked about his family’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. And he denied it — an outright lie. The truth is, Abdul and his family have surrounded themselves with some of the most heinous organizations and anti-American actors in history.”Read statement
El-Sayed denies family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood
“No. Let me ask you, though, why this is even a subject of debate. Because his only strategy is to point to me and my name and my faith and to say that we're different.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "El-Sayed says Rogers is attacking his mother and sister". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5658-in-his-rebuttal-el-sayed-said-rogers-was