Story perspectives

Mike Rogers Targets El-Sayed’s 9/11 Comments in Attack

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 2:27 PM UTC · How we work

Left

Mike Rogers Attacks

On September 10 2026, Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers publicly attacked opponent Abdul El-Sayed’s 9/11-related tweets.
Rogers’ repeated votes against 9/11 first-responder health and pension bills, including the 2010 Zadroga Act, were condemned as betrayal, with some demanding manslaughter charges.
The email claimed Rogers saw Osama bin Laden’s body, though he was not in Pakistan.
Retired firefighter and councilmember Henry Yanez, who backs El-Sayed, condemned Rogers’ voting record as shameful.

Right

Rogers Condemns

On September 10 2026, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers publicly attacked Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for past comments about the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Rogers highlighted his former FBI and House Intelligence Committee leadership while a digital ad featured Flight 93 hero David Beamer condemning El-Sayed’s remarks.
El-Sayed’s 2021 podcast said the nation’s response to 9/11 ‘scarred millions of other people.’
Ground-zero cleanup volunteers later gave testimonials supporting Rogers after the resurfaced El-Sayed comments.

Blindspot

Mike Rogers voted against the 2010 James Zadroga Act, legislation that provided health care to roughly 40,000 September 11 first-responders, and has repeatedly opposed other bills funding benefits for those responders.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

After the 2001 attacks, New York officials first expanded death benefits in 2006, and Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, which President Obama signed in January 2011, allocating $4.3 billion for medical care of thousands of responders. The law’s 2015 permanent extension continues to shape debates, as seen in the 2026 Michigan Senate race.

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Mike Rogers Attacks

On September 10 2026, Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers publicly attacked opponent Abdul El-Sayed’s 9/11-related tweets.
Rogers’ repeated votes against 9/11 first-responder health and pension bills, including the 2010 Zadroga Act, were condemned as betrayal, with some demanding manslaughter charges.
The email claimed Rogers saw Osama bin Laden’s body, though he was not in Pakistan.
Retired firefighter and councilmember Henry Yanez, who backs El-Sayed, condemned Rogers’ voting record as shameful.

1 / 4