Slotkin’s lawfare warning will outlast Trump



Peace among political rivals often depends on deterrence. Each side understands that destroying its opponents today invites the same treatment when power changes hands tomorrow. That understanding is supposed to keep a republic from becoming an endless exercise in retaliation revenge. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) seems eager to test it.

At an October 13 appearance at the University of Chicago, Slotkin called for “signature cases” against people she believes enabled President Trump. She wanted graduates considering administration jobs to worry that they might be “buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want” and to avoid taking those jobs. “I want that deterrence message sent,” she said.

Democrats are not hiding the ball. They plan on bringing lawfare back with a vengeance. Americans should take them at their word.

Slotkin says she meant accountability for actual violations of law, not punishment for accepting a government job. Then why advertise scaring young people away from public service as a desired result? Holding criminals accountable is one thing. Making prospective employees fear the next election is another.

She says she wants to pursue the people who “enabled” Trump’s “corruption.” Who defines enabling? Who decides whether carrying out a lawful policy, drafting a legal argument, or simply working for the wrong president is corrupt? Slotkin and her fellow congressional HR ladies, apparently.

Political appointees serve an elected president and help carry out his agenda. That does not relieve them of responsibility for their own unlawful acts, obviously. But neither does it make every aide personally culpable for every decision made above him. A junior employee at the Department of Homeland Security might execute a lawful order without ever having devised the policy. Does that make him an enabler worthy of an investigation?

Perhaps he should have resigned, saluted Our Democracy™, and gone to work for the Bulwark instead. “I was just following orders” is no defense to a crime, of course. But “I worked for an administration you despise” is not evidence of one, either.

This is what is alarming about Slotkin’s language. She says accountability. I hear a political warning directed at people who have not yet taken a job, much less committed an offense. Once the process itself becomes the punishment, prosecutors do not need to win every case to discourage the next generation from entering government.

And where does this lead? A departing Republican president could feel compelled to issue sweeping pardons for his staffers before they leave office. That would be a grotesque transformation of a constitutional safeguard into a routine parting gift.

Even then, presidential pardons cover federal offenses, not state charges or civil litigation. They cannot immunize crimes that have not occurred. A president could never make the threat of politically motivated litigation disappear by signing enough papers.

RELATED:The raid that Democrats can’t wave away

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Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) put the objection plainly: “I’m not aware of any Republican in office who has advocated the mirror-image approach — using the threat of prosecutions to deter people from serving in a Democratic administration.” His point deserves an answer. Is Slotkin trying to deter misconduct or Republican public service? Her own remarks invite the question.

Conservatives should not respond with a folksy, foolish “Schoolhouse Rock” pep talk about the glories of public service. Young people considering government jobs deserve to know that an incoming administration may examine their work. They also deserve confidence that investigators will pursue evidence of actual crimes, not guilt by association.

Democrats were serious about lawfare the first time around, and they will be again.

One-party rule has always been the goal. Young people need to be clear-eyed about what they are signing up for by working for Republicans, and voters need to understand the gravity of Democratic threats.

Democrats are not hiding the ball. They plan on bringing lawfare back with a vengeance. Americans should take them at their word.

Muslim Group Supports Lawsuit Against Dearborn, Mich. For Discriminating Against Christians And Jews

Christians and Jews and all people of conscience in Dearborn should not need a federal judge to be welcome in their own city.

Abdul El-Sayed's Treasurer Behind Super PAC Pushing Third-Party Libertarian as 'True Conservative' in Michigan Senate Race

Abdul El-Sayed's campaign treasurer is also the treasurer of a shadowy super PAC spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to boost third-party candidates in the Michigan Senate race and other battleground contests, a Washington Free Beacon investigation has found. In Michigan, the PAC is presenting the libertarian candidate, Lydia Christensen, as the Senate race's true "conservative" in a scheme to siphon votes from Republican Mike Rogers.

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El-Sayed’s Fellow Muslim Brotherhood Supporters, Who Signed Letter With Him Urging Brotherhood To ‘Purge’ the Media and Police, Have Poured Thousands Into His Campaign

At least six men who joined Abdul El-Sayed in signing a notorious 2012 letter calling for a Muslim Brotherhood "purge" of the media and police have also donated handsomely to his two runs for office, mostly to his current Senate campaign, records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.

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The Abdul El-Sayed dirt keeps PILING UP



Abdul El-Sayed wants to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, but BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau believe he’s one of the weaker Democrats running this November — and his latest controversy isn’t helping.

“El-Sayed’s a uniquely bad candidate for the Democrats,” Stu says, noting that the “Republicans have a chance there.”

“You feel like when you’re coming down [to] the closing days of a campaign, you’d rather not be answering questions about your family being on the terrorist watch list and being in the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s suboptimal,” he adds.

“Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law’s terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance,” one headline from Fox News reads.


“He had to fight back against this because people are like, ‘Hey, we were thinking, like, what if U.S. senators didn’t have sisters that were on the terror watch list,’” Stu jokes.

And in a clip of El-Sayed on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” it’s clear that he didn’t make things much better.

The clip begins with an older clip where a reporter asked El-Sayed if he had any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which he responded “no.” The reporter then asked if his family did, and he responded “no” again.

However, resurfaced tweets from El-Sayed’s half sister are calling that answer into question.

“Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” one X post from his half sister reads.

“My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively,” she wrote in another.

And in another, she wrote, “Praying for all my family that supports the #MB in #Egypt. Lie low, stay safe.”

When another NBC reporter called him out for the contradiction, El-Sayed responded, “And you want to ask me about what was happening in Egypt in 1970? Are you serious?”

“I’m telling you, like, I have no ties,” he added.

“Your mother had no ties?” the reporter pressed.

“I have never had these conversations with my mother. ... You’re using hearsay evidence from a tweet. ... It’s just not serious,” El-Sayed said again.

“You’ve also gone after the president for truthfulness, so when people ask you a question, they all do expect the truth,” the reporter continued.

“Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying?” El-Sayed asked.

“Yes,” Stu answers for the reporter. “And you’re lying again there.”

“And your sister tweeted it. It’s not hearsay,” Dave agrees.

“It’s not hearsay,” Stu adds. “Your freaking sister has said it not just once but multiple times.”

Want more from Stu and Dave?

To enjoy more of Stu and Dave's lethal blend of wit, humor, and insightful commentary subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino has his eye on the White House — in more ways than one



SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino may be retired, but he remains laser-focused on the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

At the Deportation Celebration on Saturday night in Macomb County, Michigan, a political bellwether, Bovino characterized illegal immigration as "the greatest threat" that America has ever faced.

'If we can get this 100 million out, I want to be back in on it.'

"When somebody crosses the border illegally, they're not crossing it just to stay right there at the border," he explained to James Dickson of Michigan Enjoyer. "They're coming in ... to do something wrong: smuggle drugs, human trafficking. Some try to find work. Some use our social services."

Bovino assured the crowd that President Donald Trump is the "best" president he has ever worked for and that transitioning from President Joe Biden to Trump in January 2025 was like flipping a "light switch" on border enforcement.

However, Bovino indicated that Trump has gone soft on the issue in recent months, due in part to "poor information" from people who are "not border security professionals." Bovino even claimed that he has been accused of "letting Trump off the hook" regarding mass deportations, though he remains optimistic that Trump may soon make it a major priority again.

"I'm hearing rumblings, folks, that maybe he is starting to wake up a little," Bovino added.

RELATED: 'Stop spreading this garbage': DHS fires back at Minnesota prosecutor's 'unlawful' investigation into Bovino

Blaze News

In response to a request for comment on some of Bovino's remarks, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Blaze News:

President Trump stopped the invasion of our country. There has never been a president who has been stronger on border security and immigration enforcement. Thanks to President Trump’s strong immigration enforcement policies, approximately three million illegals have left the United States and zero illegals have been released at the border in 17 months.

Bovino, 56, retired from the Border Patrol after immigration agents fatally shot two agitators in Minnesota back in January. And though he is less than a year away from the mandatory age of retirement at the agency anyway, Bovino suggested he may yet stage a comeback.

"You can get a waiver, even a fossil like me can get a waiver. So I was planning on lobbying the big man hard for a waiver," he claimed, presumably referring to Trump.

Bovino added that he wants to return to the scene so he can help show 100 million illegal aliens the door. "If we can get this 100 million out, I want to be back in on it," he said.

When Dickson pressed him on whether returning is a realistic option, Bovino replied, "Oh, absolutely. ... It just depends on how serious our politicians are going to go on immigration. If you really want to go serious, then it's definitely possible."

In the event a return to federal immigration enforcement does not work out, Bovino confirmed to Blaze News that he may take a different approach and run for political office instead.

"I will run for something if they don’t start mass deportations! That’s the single focus and should be the single focus!" Bovino wrote in a message Monday.

"POTUS or bust," he added in a follow-up message. The "Senate isn’t quick enough for what [the] country needs."

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Exclusive Q&A: Breaking the Ice With Abdul El-Sayed

Welcome to another installment of the Washington Free Beacon's exclusive Q&A series featuring lighthearted interviews with politicians and other newsmakers. No gotcha questions. Just good, old-fashioned icebreakers to keep things fun. This week's guest is Abdul El-Sayed, a.k.a. "Dr. Dad Bod," the Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Michigan. The following transcript of our conversation has been lightly edited for length, clarity, and vibes.

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'They’re Like, "Why?"' El-Sayed Asked Why Anyone Would Want To Live in Flint, Michigan, in Appearance Before White Boston University Audience

Abdul El-Sayed joked about how undesirable a city Flint, Mich., was, questioning why anyone would want to live in the black Rust Belt city in remarks to a largely white, Boston University audience in 2016.

The post 'They’re Like, "Why?"' El-Sayed Asked Why Anyone Would Want To Live in Flint, Michigan, in Appearance Before White Boston University Audience appeared first on .

Senior Michigan Democrats make announcement sure to give El-Sayed an ulcer: 'Party loyalty is not blind obedience'



Although they cannot bring themselves to endorse Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers outright, a pair of big names in Michigan Democratic circles have issued a plea to fellow travelers: Do not vote for Rogers' leftist opponent, Abdul El-Sayed.

Lon Johnson, the former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, and David Kramer, a longtime Democratic strategist who worked on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's gubernatorial campaign and Sen. Elissa Slotkin's Senate campaign, made their case in an op-ed published on Friday in the Detroit News — an anti-Trump paper that officially endorsed Rogers last month.

'A vote is never owed.'

At the outset, the duo noted that El-Sayed has failed to earn the trust of "loyal Democrats," assuage their fears, and "unite a party whose nomination he won with less than 50% of the vote."

"As a result, we will not vote for Abdul El-Sayed," wrote the duo. "Some may then conclude we, or other loyal Democrats, need to vote for a different party, but for many of us, leaving the ballot blank is an act of dignity."

Johnson and Kramer stated that their "gravest concerns involve El-Sayed's associations with figures who have excused or minimized terrorism, his reluctance to unequivocally condemn dangerous rhetoric, and his support of extreme policies."

El-Sayed is a Muslim Democrat who:

  • served on former President Joe Biden's Unity Task Force for Healthcare,
  • defended sex-rejection mutilations for children,
  • advocated in June 2020 for defunding the police, and
  • still advocates today for a tax-raising "Medicare for All" scheme.

Johnson and Kramer took issue with El-Sayed's refusal during his Oct. 8 debate with Rogers to identify "whether Iran or Israel posed the greater threat to America, dismissing the comparison as hypothetical."

El-Sayed said during the debate that "both of them have proven dangerous in their own way."

RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez dumps BIG MONEY into El-Sayed campaign

Sarah Rice/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Johnson and Kramer also expressed concern about whether El-Sayed shares the radicalism exhibited by others in his orbit.

For starters, El-Sayed is the son of Fatten Fathy Elkomy, an Egyptian immigrant who reportedly worked for an Islamic organization that the U.S. Treasury Department labeled a specially designated global terrorist organization in 2004.

The Treasury Department noted at the time of the terror designation that the group, the Islamic African Relief Agency, may have "provided direct financial support" to Osama bin Laden and, by extension, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Elkomy's daughter and El-Sayed's half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, is a professor at the University of Chicago who was arrested last year for allegedly spitting on an Illinois state trooper outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Abdelhadi not only delivered an "October 7 blessing" on the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel but has signaled a familial link to the Muslim Brotherhood, though El-Sayed has denied that he and his family have ties to it.

While a man cannot choose the family he is born into, he certainly can choose his friends.

El-Sayed brought Hasan Piker to Michigan to campaign with him on multiple occasions, including on Aug. 3.

Piker is the multimillionaire son of Muslim immigrants from Turkey who:

  • stated that "America deserved 9/11" and called for another attack;
  • said that he has no patriotism in his heart for America;
  • identified the colors of Hezbollah terrorists as his "favorite flag";
  • shrugged off sexual violence by Hamas terrorists; and
  • told viewers who care about Medicaid fraud to "kill" Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

"Leadership is measured not only by what you say, but by what you are willing to confront," wrote Johnson and Kramer, who expressed concern about El-Sayed's relationship with Piker as well as their party's takeover by the Democratic Socialists of America.

The Democratic duo concluded that "legitimate frustration with the political establishment cannot justify surrendering our party to ideological extremism. Winning elections means little if we lose the principles and broad coalition that make governing possible."

"Supporting a candidate is a choice, not an obligation. Party loyalty is not blind obedience. Support must be earned, and a vote is never owed," they added.

El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

The race for the open Michigan U.S. Senate seat remains neck and neck, according to Blaze News' Poll Watch. El-Sayed has just a 2.7 point advantage over Rogers.

Michigan Senate polls 2026: El-Sayed vs. Rogerspollwatch.theblaze.com

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Abdul El-Sayed Fundraised Alongside School Principal Who Resigned for Defending ‘Intifada’ as T-Shirt Slogan and Gaza Flotilla Activist Who Has Described Thanksgiving as ‘National Day of Mourning’

Abdul El-Sayed fundraised earlier this month alongside a former New York City public school principal who resigned for defending the use of the term “intifada” as a t-shirt slogan, and, over the summer, with a Muslim activist who led the Gaza flotilla movement and who has described Thanksgiving as a “national day of mourning.”

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