Daniel Samet
Role at the time: Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, quoted in Fox News Digital
Statement summary
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.
“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.”
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.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used 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.