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Abdul El-Sayed Disavows Muslim Brotherhood After Town Hall Heckler In Caro, Michigan
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El-Sayed said absolutely disavows the Muslim Brotherhood at a Caro town hall. A heckler named Tommy asked him to disavow the Brotherhood; El-Sayed questioned the question.
Town hall disavowal
Abdul El-Sayed faced a town hall heckler in Caro, Michigan, and he told the man, “absolutely,” when the man asked whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood.
“El-Sayed said ‘absolutely,’ then questioned the man in return.”
El-Sayed then compared the implied “dual loyalties” question to what John F. Kennedy faced, saying, “I’m not running to be a Muslim senator. I’m running for U.S. Senate and happen to be Muslim.”
Mike Rogers pressed the dispute on CNN by saying, “He did not disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. He didn’t disavow it,” while El-Sayed insisted he has no ties to the group.
The exchange unfolded as Republicans tried to portray El-Sayed as sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror, and El-Sayed argued he was being unfairly accused of the same “dual loyalties” that former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama once faced.
Who was “Tommy”
Records and reporting tied the heckler, who gave his name as “Tommy,” to Thomas Teepell, a former aide to Josh Hawley, and the Guardian said Teepell’s staff records showed he joined Hawley’s office as an intern in 2023.
The Guardian reported that El-Sayed answered “Sure, yeah, absolutely,” then turned the question around by asking whether the man assumed he would not disavow the Muslim Brotherhood.
CBS News said El-Sayed told the man, “I think it’s you who needs to understand the Constitution, not me,” and the crowd cheered and chanted, “Bye, Tommy.”
Jan Crawford later apologized for an X post about the exchange, writing, “I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize.”
Race stakes and messaging
The dispute over El-Sayed’s Muslim faith has become central to the Michigan Senate contest, with the New York Times describing a new 30-second ad in which El-Sayed says, “I pray every day.” The New York Times also quoted Trump calling El-Sayed “Mohammed” and saying, “To me, he’s Mohammed, and he’s a radical jihadist,” as Republicans leaned into the faith attacks in a tight race.
“El-Sayed holds a narrow lead in the RealClearPolitics average, 48.1% to 45.5% for Rogers.”
The Guardian said El-Sayed holds a narrow lead in the RealClearPolitics average, 48.1% to 45.5% for Rogers, and it set election day as 3 November. El-Sayed’s campaign framed the town hall moment as a defense of constitutional rights, and he told Semafor, “Judge me by my actions and my work, but please do not assume that because I might pray differently than anybody who’s ever held this office, that somehow I am not deeply committed to this Constitution,” as the race moved into its final weeks.