As my RedState colleagues and I have written so often before, the mainstream media are going to do media things, no matter how much you call them out and no matter how many times they walk back a biased or otherwise problematic story due to immense public pressure (as opposed to when they double down, which happens far more often than a correction or retraction).
More recently, I've talked about this in terms of how it relates to the corporate political press here in North Carolina, which honestly would probably make even the elitists in the D.C. establishment press corps blush, if they paid attention to how one-sided "reporting" is in N.C. and the lengths reporters and reporterettes go to try and cover for Democrats, rather than simply covering them in an objective way (which is kinda sorta their actual job).
But document it we must, just to have it for the record.
The latest example from a national media outlet comes courtesy of NBC News, which waded into the Michigan Senate race amid ongoing criticism of Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed and his refusals to, among other things, condemn antisemitism, distance himself from radical Twitch streamer and prominent campaign supporter Hasan Piker, and denounce the Muslim Brotherhood - an extremist Islamic group that certain members of his family - and El-Sayed himself - have documented ties to.
The issue, of course, is not that El-Sayed is Muslim. It's the issues referenced above, which include apparent sympathies over the wartime deaths of high-ranking Iranian mullahs, that have Republicans and Democrats alike concerned about the candidate's loyalties.
But that's not how NBC News sees it, judging by this piece from Friday, which characterized valid criticisms of El-Sayed as "anti-Muslim attacks":
Anti-Muslim attacks on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed have become increasingly frequent as this heated race reaches the finish line. https://t.co/I0esez6gaO
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 30, 2026
Now, this wasn't super surprising to see, considering how often NBC News has carried water for El-Sayed's campaign in contentious exchanges with Republicans, including GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers, as we reported. But it was infuriating all the same, because it's a line El-Sayed has frequently used on Rogers and other critics as a way to shut down the debate:
On Meet the Press, he said Rogers had raised the issue because he “really wanted to repeat the word Muslim”. In a separate NBC interview, he dismissed the questions as “not serious”.
Seeing the MSM use talking points Democrat candidates for public office use as though they came up with them themselves is a classic example of leftist media bias.
Rogers has been quick to fire back by correctly noting it's "not about how you pray, it's how you think," and how knowing exactly where he stands on groups like the Muslim Brotherhood is kinda important considering El-Sayed wants to become a senator:
"So, being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood, having donors to his campaign from Hamas that support Hezbollah, is not a problem? If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know: are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? You can grin, and you can smile, and you can talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what, that is a risk to our national security."
That was a haymaker. After Abdul El-Sayed claimed that Mike Rogers is “bought off” by weapons manufacturers and AIPAC, Rogers dropped the gloves and peeled back the curtain on his radical ties. He called out the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Hezbollah by name before dropping a legendary line: ROGERS: “If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” El-Sayed grinned back at him. Rogers wasn’t finished. “Well, you can grin and you can smile and you talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what — that is a RISK to our national security.” Brutal.
— Overton (@overton_news) October 22, 2026
Ultimately, the lazy media/Democrat tactic of boiling down legitimate criticisms as "anti-Muslim" is meant as a form of shutuppery. Thankfully, those who know the score on El-Sayed - and his willing accomplices in the press - are simply not going to comply.
