Stop the presses, everyone – an act of journalism was just committed by NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas.
Llamas was interviewing Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about his neck-and-neck race with GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers when the topic of some uncomfortable old tweets from El-Sayed's half-sister was brought up. The tweets, said Llamas, seem to indicate a relationship between El-Sayed's family and the Muslim Brotherhood. Something the Democrat socialist has strenuously denied in the past.
The trouble started with a short clip from an interview El-Sayed did with NBC's Kristen Welker in which he denied having any connections with the Muslim Brotherhood. Welker followed that up by asking if anyone in his family did, to which he responded, "No."
Wait a second, said Llamas, what about this tweet from your half sister? “These tweets have emerged now,” he said, before reading one aloud: “Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early ’70s while she was in college. Hashtag respect.”
Llamas then cited another post referring to the family's support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt before asking El-Sayed, “Can you just explain it?”
El-Sayed tried to swerve answering Llamas by getting indignant. “Yeah, Tom. It’s funny to me,” he began. “I was born in 1984, down the street in Rochester Hills. I was raised here in Michigan, went to the University of Michigan, rebuilt the health department in this city, led the health department in this county, and you want to ask me about what was happening in Egypt in 1970? Are you serious?”
“I get it, but you were asked a question and you gave an answer,” Llamas responded.
Hoo boy.
When pressed again about it, El-Sayed, who was visibly flustered at this point, spat out, "I have no ties. We have no ties.”
Here's where things get complicated for El-Sayed.
“So your mother had no ties?” Llamas asked. At this point, El-Sayed’s answer changes. “I have never had these conversations with my mother,” he said. “I wasn’t raised by my mother.”
“So you were unaware?” Llamas asked.
El-Sayed then attacked the evidence itself. “But, but, but I’m just telling you that, like, you’re using hearsay evidence from a tweet,” he said of his half-sister’s posts. “Like, she’s not serious. She’s not serious.”
Oh, dear. That response presents an obvious problem: If El-Sayed had never discussed the matter with his mother, on what basis did he previously give NBC such a definitive answer that his family had no ties to the Muslim Brotherhood?
Llamas then made the accountability issue even more explicit.
“You’ve also gone after the president for truthfulness,” he told El-Sayed. “So when people ask you a question, they do expect the truth.”
El-Sayed immediately bristled.
“Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying?”
“I don’t know,” Llamas replied. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
“And I’m telling you I was not,” El-Sayed said.
HOLD THE PRESS: NBC holds Abdul El-Sayed’s feet to the fire on his family’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He CLEARLY panicked and lashed out at the reporter. NBC: “When people ask you a question, they do expect the truth.” EL-SAYED (flustered): “Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying?!” This is so good. He’s panicking and his lies are catching up to him. A rare act of journalism from NBC News.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2026
If "harumph" was a facial expression, that's it right there on El-Sayed's face.
Indignation that NBC, a network he probably considers a political ally, would call him out on this is simply not good enough an answer. He's playing with the big boys now and if he can't explain his own categorical denial when confronted with contradictory claims from his family, voters are entitled to wonder why they should trust him on anything else.