El-Sayed aide says Rogers ad with vintage truck and US flags is like a 'KKK cross burning'



The campaign of Abdul El-Sayed distanced itself from bizarre comments by a campaign aide comparing an innocuously patriotic ad from Mike Rogers to a Ku Klux Klan cross burning.

The ad showed Rogers riding in a bright red antique Ford truck with two U.S. flags flapping behind as the song "American Ride" by Toby Keith plays.

'Is it your official campaign position that old Ford pickups are akin to the KKK?'

"Gotta love this American Ride! There’s no better way to do the Woodward Dream Cruise!" Rogers wrote in the social media post.

While most Americans would likely approve of the video, El-Sayed aide Mason Pressler said it reminded him of a racist KKK demonstration.

"Mike Rogers’ campaign has the aesthetics of a 1960s white flight suburb and a KKK cross burning," the political manager posted on social media.

The Rogers campaign seized on the comment to slam El-Sayed.

"Is it your official campaign position that old Ford pickups are akin to the KKK? That's the statement your staff is making," the campaign responded on social media.

In an email to Fox News, El-Sayed's communications director, Roxie Richner, cited a caveat on Pressler's social media profile saying his posts were his opinions only and not representative of the views of the campaign.

The Democrat is the first Muslim to be nominated for a seat in the U.S. Senate but has been plagued by the far-left comments and associations unearthed from his past.

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El-Sayed argued that the Second Amendment needed to be revoked and compared President Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden. He's also publicly palled around with extremist Hasan Piker, who said America deserved the 9/11 terror attacks and has advocated for violence in the name of communism.

While El-Sayed winning the Democrat nomination in Michigan is seen as a victory for the far-left fringe of the party, others point to polling that showed the progressive did not compete as well against Rogers as the establishment candidate he defeated.

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El-Sayed's mom worked for designated terror group that financed bin Laden ahead of 9/11: Report



Abdul El-Sayed, the Islamic Democrat hoping to win an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, is apparently not the only radical in his family.

Fatten Fathy Elkomy, El-Sayed's birth mother, long worked for an Islamic organization that was identified by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2004 as a specially designated global terrorist organization, reported the Midwesterner.

IARA may have 'provided direct financial support' to Osama bin Laden and, by extension, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Treasury Department stated in a release at the time of the terror designation that the international offices of the Islamic African Relief Agency, or IARA, may have "provided direct financial support" to Osama bin Laden and, by extension, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"IARA is identified as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) formerly affiliated with Maktab Al-Khidamat (MK), which was co-founded and financed by UBL [Osama bin Laden] and is the precursor organization of al Qaida," the department said.

"IARA, MK, and UBL commingled funds and cooperated closely in the raising and expenditure of funds. IARA engaged in a joint program with an institute controlled by UBL that was involved in providing assistance to Taliban fighters."

The Treasury Department alleged that IARA leaders — who secured agreements with the U.S. Agency for International Development totaling over $1.3 million until USAID terminated those agreements in 1999 — not only hobnobbed with terrorists in Sudan and various Middle Eastern locales but provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to bin Laden two years before the 9/11 attacks via its overseas branches.

Although she was reportedly never charged with a crime or named as a co-conspirator, Elkomy's name appears dozens of times in a list of exhibits filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in a case against the IARA that resulted in guilty pleas from two of the organization's board members.

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Sarah Rice/Getty Images

The descriptions reference her alleged involvement with multiple wire transfers, several calls between 1999 and 2002, and a request for $24,607.45 for the IARA's Iraq office that was allegedly sent to Mubarak Hamed.

Hamed, a native of Sudan who served as the executive director of IARA, pleaded guilty in 2010 for his role in a conspiracy to illegally transfer over $1 million to Iraq in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Blaze News reached out to Elkomy and the El-Sayed campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Greg Manz, Michigan GOP senior communications adviser, told Blaze News:

This report is deeply troubling. To that end, Abdul El-Sayed has yet to adequately address these reported terrorist connections.

Why hasn’t Abdul unequivocally denounced his mother’s alleged connections to groups associated with the same terrorist groups directly responsible for 9/11? And why does Abdul continue to campaign with communist influencers who think America deserved 9/11?

Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly surrounds himself with extreme, troublesome figures and consistently refuses to clearly denounce their horrific actions, vile statements, and alarming associations.

Elkomy previously denied connections between the IARA and terrorists, telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2004, according to the Midwesterner, "I’ve been working there serving orphans and children with at least one deceased parent, and it breaks my heart they’re not going to get any help."

The former IARA member has apparently been following her son's political journey.

When asked who he had heard from after securing the Democratic nomination, El-Sayed told the New York Times earlier this month, "My mom." El-Sayed has also referenced his mother's psychiatric work on the campaign trail.

The Democratic nominee's campaign site does not mention his birth mother in his bio, noting that "Abdul was raised by his father, Mohamed, an Egyptian immigrant, and his stepmom, Jackie, whose family has lived in Gratiot County, Michigan, since the 1800s."

El-Sayed, whose parents are both Egyptian immigrants, also has a radical half-sister.

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

Fox News Digital recently reported that Abdelhadi, whose so-called scholarship appears to revolve around gender and Islam, also delivered an "October 7 blessing" on the first anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.

After stating "Allahu Akbar" and noting that "that phrase means God is greater," Abdelhadi said in a video shared on Instagram on Oct. 7, 2024, that "Allahu Akbar" is a phrase she had been "thinking about a lot over the last year, because it's a phrase that reminds us that no matter how great the brutality, the oppression, the intensity of what we're going through, the horizon of justice is just around the corner."

"We have an imperative to not just imagine a better future, but to build one together," added Abdelhadi. "I’ll see you on the streets."

The El-Sayed campaign said of Abdelhadi's radicalism, "Abdul loves his sister and also disagrees with her on a number of political positions and the rhetoric she's chosen to use, including on foreign policy."

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'Inshallah': Democrats in Michigan roll the dice on a far-left radical even Whitmer didn't want



Democratic voters in Michigan have spoken — but will they have buyer's remorse come November?

Though the Michigan primary was held on Tuesday, Wednesday morning rolled around before some outlets pronounced 41-year-old Abdul El-Sayed the winner of the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. Haley Stevens, the candidate preferred by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other establishment Democrats, finished a close second.

A Rogers win would therefore be a Republican pickup and go a long way to help the GOP maintain control of the Senate.

The RealClearPolling average showed El-Sayed with a commanding lead of more than 10 points over Stevens heading into the primary, but with 98.6% of expected votes counted, El-Sayed had just a one-point margin of victory, 48.5% to 47.5%, NBC News reported.

Mike Rogers, 63, won the Republican nomination after running unopposed.

Speaking to supporters early Wednesday, El-Sayed invoked his Muslim religion to express confidence that he would prevail. According to El-Sayed, doubters might ask, "If and when we win this race, how are you going to beat Mike Rogers and their money?"

He continued: "I want you to remind them that if we come through this, when we come through this — inshallah — that we'll have taken $70 million on the chin and kept fighting back."

Inshallah is an Arabic word that means "God willing," and Muslims use it so frequently that it has even entered modern English parlance.

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The tight primary indicates that many Michigan Democrats have misgivings about El-Sayed, and indeed, he is no stranger to controversy. El-Sayed:

  • has been endorsed by far-left radicals like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
  • campaigned with America-hater Hasan Piker, who once said, "America deserved 9/11."
  • bills himself as a medical "doctor" even though he reportedly has never treated a patient, isn't licensed in Michigan, and has never passed any board exams.
  • employed a campaign staffer earlier this year who is currently under federal indictment in connection with anti-Semitic attacks.
  • expressed sympathy for a "Hezbollah-inspired" terrorist who tried to kill Jewish schoolchildren in Michigan on March 13 over Israeli strikes in Iran.
  • promised during a gubernatorial campaign against Whitmer in 2018 to allow illegal aliens to obtain a Michigan driver's license.
After El-Sayed was declared the winner, Rogers' senior communications advisor Greg Manz issued the following statement:
Abdul El-Sayed is doubling down on the same failed, feckless far-left agenda that has held Michigan back. Let's also not forget that Abdul El-Sayed is a terrorist sympathizer who is hell-bent on releasing violent criminals from prisons and throwing open our borders so criminal illegal aliens can flock to Michigan neighborhoods.

This November, Michiganders will soundly reject radical, Marxist policies and elect Mike Rogers, who will put working families first and protect our freedoms.
This is an open seat since Democrat Sen. Gary Peters decided not to seek a third term. A Rogers win would therefore be a Republican pickup and go a long way to help the GOP maintain control of the Senate. Democrats already need to flip four Republican-held seats to wrest back control.

But it won't be easy for Rogers. He not only lost narrowly to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 Senate race, but Michigan, which went to Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, has not elected a Republican U.S. senator in over 30 years.

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Michigan may help GOP keep control of Senate, no matter who prevails on Democratic side



The presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan is sitting pretty just hours away from the primary.

According to two polls conducted in late July, Republican primary front-runner Mike Rogers has a lead over the two main candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.

El-Sayed campaigned with US-hating Islamist Hasan Piker, who once said, 'America deserved 9/11.'

An EPIC-MRA poll conducted July 28 and 29 shows Rogers with a three-point lead over Stevens and in a tie with El-Sayed. A separate EPIC-MRA/MIRS poll from July 24 to 31 shows Rogers with a three-point lead over El-Sayed but two points below Stevens.

The Michigan primary election is Tuesday, and El-Sayed is the current favorite to win the Democratic nomination. The RealClearPolling average shows El-Sayed with a double-digit lead over Stevens, even though Stevens has been endorsed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Once again, that polling average may spell good news for Rogers since El-Sayed's campaign has been shrouded in controversy ever since he announced his Senate candidacy.

Voters in Michigan, which went for President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, may not like the fact that El-Sayed:

  • has been endorsed by far-left radicals like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
  • campaigned with U.S.-hater Hasan Piker, who once said, "America deserved 9/11, dude. F**k it, I'm sayin' it."
  • bills himself as a medical "doctor" even though he reportedly has never treated a patient, isn't licensed in Michigan, and has never passed any board exams.
  • employed a campaign staffer earlier this year who is currently under federal indictment in connection with anti-Semitic attacks.
Rogers believes the showdown in November will all come down to "crazy vs. common sense."

"And it’s exactly why I’ll beat whichever of my radical opponents prevails on Tuesday," Rogers tweeted Sunday.

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Sarah Rice/Getty Images

In January 2025, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) announced unexpectedly that he would not seek a third term. Should Rogers prevail in the election, Republicans would gain another seat, helping fortify their majority. Democrats already need to flip four seats to regain control.

Still, Rogers should not plan to coast his way into November. Rogers narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin, and Michigan has not elected a Republican U.S. senator since 1994.

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'Seditious' Democrat whines: Slotkin cries intimidation after Trump demands arrests for 'refuse illegal orders' video



A member of the so-called "seditious six" has resurfaced to complain about the Trump administration's response to an incendiary viral video posted late last year.

On Wednesday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) posted a response to the Trump administration's investigations into the Democrat lawmakers who famously directed members of the military and intelligence community to "refuse illegal orders" back in November.

'And right now, speaking out against the abuse of power is the most patriotic thing we can do.'

Slotkin, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, captioned her latest video, "The intimidation *is the point*. And it’s not going to work."

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Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Slotkin claimed that District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro asked to interview her last week in connection with the video she posted with five other Democrats. She said this was "on top of" an FBI counterterrorism investigation that she announced in November.

She said that in response to the video, "the president called for us to be investigated, arrested, and ultimately hanged. He ended up tweeting over a dozen times about that and yesterday, in Michigan, falsely said that I stole my 2024 election."

Slotkin won the 2024 Senate race by a 0.3% margin over former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).

On Tuesday, President Trump addressed Rogers, who was in the audience at the Detroit Economic Club, saying, "And I think they took that away from you last time. I'll be honest with you, Mike. I really do. I don't like to get things going. I don't like to be controversial at all, but they rigged the election on you. Mine was too big to rig. You were — you won. I'm telling you, you won."

Trump did not clarify who he believes "rigged" that election.

Slotkin claimed that she has received over 100 credible threats, prompting her to heighten security for herself and her family members.

"Now, he's using his political appointees at the FBI and the Department of Justice to follow through with his threats," she continued. "To be clear, this is the president's playbook. Truth doesn't matter. Facts don't matter. And anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy, and he then weaponizes the federal government against them.

"It's legal intimidation and physical intimidation meant to get you to shut up. He's used it with our universities, our corporations, our legal community, and with politicians, who falsely believe that doing his bidding and staying quiet will keep them safe."

Slotkin promised not be among them.

Slotkin concluded with a non sequitur and a vague appeal to "values": "Our freedom of speech is worth fighting for. Our values, our core values, are worth fighting for. And right now, speaking out against the abuse of power is the most patriotic thing we can do."

Slotkin was joined by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) in the original video, which has since garnered over 18 million views.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia did not return Blaze News' request for comment.

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