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Fact-Check: Michigan Senate Candidate Didn't Say America Deserved 9/11

8/10/2026

Left

El-Sayed Under Fire

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was accused in August 2026 of saying America deserved the September 11 attacks.
Republican ads labeled El-Sayed a “terrorist sympathizer,” a charge Council on American-Islamic Relations called Islamophobic, while AIPAC poured $32 million into anti-El-Sayed advertising.
El-Sayed told NBC’s Meet the Press the comment was “dumb” and Hasan Piker disavowed it.
Harris endorsed him after he called attacks “gotcha politics” and warned cancel culture harms discourse.

Right

El-Sayed Denies 9/11

In August 2026, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was accused of saying America deserved the September 11 attacks.
El-Sayed framed the controversy as cancel culture, emphasizing his own accountability while defending the streamer’s past remarks.
He firmly affirmed that America did not deserve the September 11 attacks, rejecting the accusation.
His Medicare for All plan could raise taxes on middle-class earners, he warned.

Center

El-Sayed Refutes

In August 2026, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was accused of saying America deserved the September 11 attacks.
Fact-checkers traced the alleged remark to streamer Hasan Piker’s August 2019 livestream, confirming El-Sayed never made the comment.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers repeated the false claim in posts and a campaign video.
El-Sayed called claim “gotcha politics,” labeled Piker’s comment “dumb,” and hopes Obama will join campaign.

History

Historical Context

The 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, which spent about $3 million on TV ads questioning John Kerry’s Vietnam record, introduced the term “swiftboating” for false war-service attacks. In August 2026, Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed confronted AIPAC-financed ads and accusations from Mike Rogers and CAIR, a strategy reminiscent of the 2004 smear tactics.

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El-Sayed Under Fire

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was accused in August 2026 of saying America deserved the September 11 attacks.
Republican ads labeled El-Sayed a “terrorist sympathizer,” a charge Council on American-Islamic Relations called Islamophobic, while AIPAC poured $32 million into anti-El-Sayed advertising.
El-Sayed told NBC’s Meet the Press the comment was “dumb” and Hasan Piker disavowed it.
Harris endorsed him after he called attacks “gotcha politics” and warned cancel culture harms discourse.

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