A Saturday town hall question about the Muslim Brotherhood brought Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed into an exchange with a man who identified himself only as ‘Tommy.’
The questioner gave only the name “Tommy” at Saturday’s event. The Handbasket identified him as Thomas Teepell. The Guardian reported Monday that congressional staff records showed Teepell had worked for Hawley.
El-Sayed replied, “Sure, yeah, absolutely,” The Guardian reported. He then asked Teepell whether he had assumed the candidate would refuse to disavow the group. El-Sayed posted a video of the exchange.
The Guardian said similar questions about the Muslim Brotherhood had surfaced earlier in the campaign. It reported no evidence that El-Sayed had personally been involved with the group. Later in the exchange, El-Sayed compared the implied concern about divided allegiance to past doubts about President John F. Kennedy’s Catholic faith, the newspaper said.
El-Sayed faces former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. He has also sought support among conservative voters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while campaigning on health care and household costs.
The Guardian said El-Sayed has a campaign rally scheduled for Oct. 24, ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
