Hasan Piker Says Abdul El-Sayed Asked Him to Stump, Deepening Michigan Senate Backlash
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Hasan Piker Says Abdul El-Sayed Asked Him to Stump, Deepening Michigan Senate Backlash
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Summary
Hasan Piker told Semafor on Friday that Abdul El-Sayed asked him to “stump” for his Michigan U.S. Senate campaign, saying the rally appearance was El-Sayed’s idea rather than his.
Piker said he had already hosted El-Sayed repeatedly and raised money for him, but the backlash intensified only after he campaigned in person, drawing attacks from establishment Democrats and groups including Third Way.
El-Sayed has since tried to distance himself, repeatedly calling Piker “a streamer from California” at Saturday’s state Democratic Party convention and saying he did not want the race defined by the online figure.
The scrutiny has centered on Piker’s history of inflammatory remarks, including saying America “deserved” 9/11 and, more recently, suggesting Jewish Americans were worsening antisemitism by supporting Israel.
El-Sayed also apologized for his response to a March attack on a Michigan synagogue, saying his “hurt people, hurt people” comment was ill-timed even though he had condemned the attack.