Democratic voters in Michigan are contemplating leaving their ballots blank in response to the foreign policy stance of Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. This issue has raised concerns within both the Jewish and African-American communities. In a recent appearance on ‘The Story’ with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, former Michigan Democratic Party chair Lon Johnson shared these concerns.
El-Sayed criticized President Joe Biden after the U.S. drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the masterminds behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. El-Sayed accused Biden of exploiting the operation for political gain rather than highlighting the importance of the strike itself. On August 1, 2022, Biden announced al-Zawahiri’s death, emphasizing his role in the 9/11 attacks that resulted in 2,977 deaths on American soil.
In an essay for The New Republic, El-Sayed condemned al-Zawahiri as a terrorist but expressed concern that Biden was using the event to improve his domestic approval ratings. He viewed the operation as a strategic move to demonstrate that Afghanistan remains vulnerable to U.S. military actions despite Taliban control. El-Sayed stated, “President Biden is using the strike to bolster his approval here at home.”
El-Sayed further criticized Biden’s approach by suggesting that a genuine display of strength in the Middle East would require challenging autocratic leaders traditionally allied with the U.S. Despite his criticism of Biden, El-Sayed made it clear that he considered al-Zawahiri a “craven terrorist” responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians.
The Washington Free Beacon was the first to highlight El-Sayed’s essay. Previous criticisms by El-Sayed include his reaction to President Donald Trump’s 2020 drone strike on Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, cautioning against provoking aggression. He also described the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen living in Yemen, during Obama’s administration as an “extrajudicial assassination.” Additionally, El-Sayed has drawn controversial comparisons between Trump and Osama bin Laden, implying that both encouraged acts of terrorism, suggesting accountability akin to bin Laden’s removal in May 2011.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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