Abdul El-Sayed has rejected Hasan Piker’s claim that the United States has caused more terror than al-Qaeda, but has stopped short of fully disavowing the political streamer despite mounting pressure from Democrats and his Republican Senate rival in Michigan.
Mr Piker made the remark in an interview this week, saying the US had caused “tremendous terror all around the world”. Asked whether America was responsible for more deaths through terror than al-Qaeda, the group that planned the September 11 attacks, he replied: “Pound for pound, as far as the number of deaths, yes.”
Dr El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race, said he disagreed with the statement and sought to distance his campaign from Mr Piker’s views.
“I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer,” Dr El-Sayed said. He added that his campaign was focused on the cost of petrol, groceries and healthcare, saying: “As I have said, this campaign speaks for itself.”
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee and a former congressman who is an ally of President Trump, said “enough is enough” and called on Dr El-Sayed to “condemn Piker once and for all”.
The dispute has intensified scrutiny of a relationship that has already become a liability for the Democratic candidate. Dr El-Sayed campaigned alongside Mr Piker at rallies on two college campuses in April and appeared with him again during the final days of the primary contest in August.
Mr Piker also joined Dr El-Sayed’s primary night party in Detroit. Dr El-Sayed has repeatedly said he does not intend to campaign with him during the general election, while arguing that appearing with him helped reach a young audience that feels alienated from politics.
Mr Piker said in a text message that “mainstream outlets focus far too much on me as a way to attack” Dr El-Sayed. He described himself as “totally independent” of the candidate and his campaign, and defended his interview comments on social media as a “nuanced answer”.
During the interview, Mr Piker referred to a US strike that hit an elementary school in Iran in February. Iranian officials said at least 175 people, most of them children, were killed. A preliminary US investigation found that the strike resulted from a targeting mistake.
“If you’re killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror,” Mr Piker said. “This doesn’t mean that all Americans are terrorists. But the reality of the matter is we have to create an environment of accountability to ensure things like that never happen again.”
Mr Piker has long criticised US involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which he has described as “devastating”. He has also fiercely criticised Israel and previously said the United States “deserved” the September 11 attacks, before later apologising.
Jewish Democrats in Michigan have urged Dr El-Sayed to take a stronger stance against Mr Piker. A group of Jewish voters issued a letter supporting Dr El-Sayed this week, although other Jewish voters have expressed unease about the association and the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus has not endorsed him.
At a debate on Tuesday, Dr El-Sayed said he disagreed with many of Mr Piker’s positions, including “his ridiculous comments about 9/11”. But he added: “I resist the idea that we should play this cancel culture gotcha game that tells us who we can’t talk to.”
The contest between Dr El-Sayed and Mr Rogers is regarded as one of a small number of competitive races that could determine control of the Senate, giving Mr Piker’s comments added significance in the campaign.
