POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Examining Claims Regarding Abdul El
The Claim During an October 17, 2026, town hall event in Caro, Michigan, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was confronted by an attendee regarding his stance on the Muslim Brotherhood....
The Claim
During an October 17, 2026, town hall event in Caro, Michigan, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was confronted by an attendee regarding his stance on the Muslim Brotherhood. Following the event, clips of the exchange circulated widely on social media, prompting Republican opponent Mike Rogers to assert that El-Sayed failed to provide a sufficient disavowal of the organization.
In a subsequent interview on CNN’s State of the Union on October 18, 2026, Rogers explicitly stated, “He didn’t disavow it,” characterizing El-Sayed’s response as a “word salad” designed to evade the question. This claim became a focal point of political discourse, suggesting that the candidate’s refusal to condemn the group indicated a hidden allegiance.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigation into the primary source material—the video recording of the town hall—reveals a direct contradiction to the narrative presented by the Rogers campaign. When the attendee, later identified as former Josh Hawley staffer Thomas Teepell, pressed El-Sayed on whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, El-Sayed responded clearly: “Sure, yeah, absolutely.” Following this, he contextualized his position by emphasizing his primary allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, drawing a parallel to the historical scrutiny faced by John F. Kennedy regarding his Catholic faith.
The assertion by the Rogers campaign that this response was insufficient constitutes disinformation. By framing a clear, affirmative statement as a refusal, the campaign engaged in a deliberate effort to manipulate public perception through the omission of the candidate’s explicit words. While the campaign attempted to justify this by citing past writings and family hearsay, these arguments do not negate the fact that the candidate provided the requested disavowal on the record.
Furthermore, the campaign’s reliance on 2012-era social media posts from El-Sayed’s half-sister and a 2012 statement supporting the democratic election of Mohamed Morsi—which was not a blanket endorsement of the Muslim Brotherhood organization—represents a misleading use of historical context. El-Sayed has consistently denied any personal ties to the group, and his subsequent public statements on October 18 further clarified his condemnation of the organization, rendering the refusal to disavow narrative factually baseless.
The Verdict
The claim that Abdul El-Sayed did not disavow the Muslim Brotherhood is FALSE. Video evidence from the October 17 town hall confirms that El-Sayed explicitly stated “Sure, yeah, absolutely” when asked to disavow the group.
The continued insistence by the Rogers campaign that this did not occur, despite the existence of clear audio and video documentation, is a calculated attempt to misrepresent the candidate’s platform. Because the claim ignores the candidate’s direct response and relies on distorted interpretations of past events, it is classified as a deliberate act of political disinformation.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by Policy Wire Editorial Desk (PW).
