Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul el Sayed are hitting each other hard in the lead-up to Friday’s 25th remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as Rogers plans to focus on the anniversary in his speech before the GOP convention.
Throughout the campaign so far, Rogers has ripped el Sayed over his relationship to socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said America “deserved” 9/11. Although Piker has since walked back the comment, it is one of several controversial and antisemitic statements he has made, and several Democrats have either disavowed or distanced themselves from the left-wing commentator. El Sayed campaigned with Piker during the primary and has refused to disavow the streamer entirely.
Rogers plans to hone in on el Sayed’s relationship to Piker in his speech before the GOP convention in Dallas on Thursday night, juxtaposing Piker’s 9/11 comments and el Sayed’s association with the streamer with Rogers’s record as an FBI agent.
Rogers posted a three-minute video on X Thursday morning, sharing the story of David Beamer, the Michigan father of Todd Beamer, who died on a plane targeted in 9/11 that went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, before the al Qaeda terrorists could direct it toward Washington, D.C. In the video, David Beamer says, “When I hear anyone suggest America deserves 9/11, my question is, who would say that?” while an image of Piker’s comments is cast on the screen, followed by an image of Piker standing alongside el Sayed.
“Todd Beamer and 39 other patriots sacrificed everything to save our nation’s Capitol on September 11, 2001,” Rogers wrote in the X caption to the video. “He’s survived by his wife, three kids, and parents. His dad, David Beamer, is right. Nobody deserved this. Let’s roll.”
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, el Sayed campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak called Rogers’ moves “bad-faith lies meant to mislead Michiganders.”
“Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks,” Wozniak said. “Mike Rogers’ attempts to misrepresent Abdul’s beliefs are bad-faith lies meant to mislead Michiganders.”
El Sayed, who has disavowed Piker’s 9/11 comments, calling them “dumb,” also fired back at Rogers on X, sharing a Guardian article pointing to a bill Rogers voted down while in the House that would have extended healthcare benefits to 9/11 first responders and survivors. Rogers voted against the bill alongside 156 other Republicans who said no because of the over $5 billion the bill would have required, per the outlet.
“Mike Rogers voted twice against healthcare for 9/11 first responders and survivors while in Congress,” el Sayed wrote on X. “He voted against the 2010 James Zadroga Act, which helped treat responders for over 50 types of cancer linked to exposures at Ground Zero. Coward.”
Rogers’s communications director Alyssa Brouillet bashed el Sayed’s tweet in a statement to the Washington Examiner, pointing to Rogers’s advocacy for $150 million to support 9/11 survivors and families.
“Rogers proposed and advocated for an annual $150 million appropriation to support the needs of 9/11 survivors and victim families,” Brouillet said. “It’s disqualifying that Abdul is using Washington speak about how the money gets there to distract from how he’s platforming somebody who thinks ‘America deserves 9/11.’”
ABDUL EL SAYED SEEKS CAMPAIGN RESET AMID HASAN PIKER FALLOUT
Rogers is expected to take the stage in Dallas on Thursday between 6 and 7 p.m. EDT.
The Michigan Senate race is listed as a toss-up, with polls showing a tight margin between the two candidates.