NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Sunday to call off Republican campaign ads accusing Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of having “terrorist ties.” She declared twice that there was no evidence El-Sayed supports terrorism, then asked whether Republicans were trying to frighten voters because he is Muslim.
Read More: Former Clinton Advisor Delivers Brutal Reality Check for Socialists and El-Sayed
Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), rejected Welker’s premise and turned the discussion to El-Sayed’s political positions and his campaign appearances with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
The exchange came during a discussion of the Michigan Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers. Welker began by asking him whether the NRSC should stop running its ads against El-Sayed.
“The NRSC continues to put out social media posts claiming that Abdul El-Sayed has, quote/unquote, ‘terrorist ties.’ And yet, there is no evidence that he has terrorist ties, senator. Should the NRSC stop running those ads?”
He brought up El-Sayed's continued association with Piker, who previously said that "America deserved 9/11," and referenced a family member, later identified as El-Sayed's birth mother, as having helped resource Osama bin Laden. Welker interrupted and told him to stay focused on what El-Sayed himself had said and believed.
Scott did exactly that. He cited El-Sayed’s positions on immigration enforcement and policing while arguing that the company a candidate keeps is also fair game.
“Birds of a feather flock together. You gotta, the company you keep does matter. We all know that. That’s something we learn in elementary school. Well, let’s go to where he stands on the issues, though. There’s a reason why even former Biden administration folks are joining with Republicans and hosting fundraisers throughout Michigan to support Mike Rogers.”
He said El-Sayed wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and defund the police. He also noted that former Biden administration officials were helping Rogers because El-Sayed was too far to the left for Michigan.
WATCH: NBC's Kresten Welker runs crisis comms for Abdul El-Sayed, suggests the @NRSC should pull their ads that quote him in his own words
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) August 23, 2026
KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Let's talk about another state that you raised, another big state, Michigan, the face-off between Democrat Abdul… pic.twitter.com/CTBaVVEXvS
Welker came back with a Washington Post analysis claiming that nearly one-third of posts about El-Sayed from right-leaning figures mentioned Islam, Muslims, or Sharia. She then shifted from the specific wording of the NRSC ads to the Republican campaign’s motives.
“Are Republicans trying to scare voters based on the fact that El-Sayed would be the first Muslim senator?”
Scott answered, “Not at all.” He said Republicans were focusing on El-Sayed’s stated positions, including remarks he characterized as support for Sharia law and proposals to eliminate parts of the national security apparatus. The senator again raised El-Sayed’s appearances with Piker.
Welker noted that El-Sayed had denounced Piker’s 9/11 remark during a previous appearance on the program. Scott answered that the denunciation would carry little weight if El-Sayed continued campaigning with him.
“You can’t denounce it with your words and do something different with your actions. We believe what you do, not just what you say.”
What Welker did not mention is that the Free Beacon reported four days before the broadcast on El-Sayed's living room bookshelf, which he had asked a documentary film crew not to film in 2018, containing works by an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, a member of an Islamic group that sought to establish a Sharia-governed state, and a cleric whose writings have influenced al-Qaeda. Media reports also identified the family member Scott referenced as having "helped resource Osama bin Laden" as El-Sayed's birth mother.
Welker wanted Scott to renounce the NRSC's campaign message. Instead, he used her airtime to repeat the case against El-Sayed, and the ads were still standing when she moved to her next question.
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