Key facts
- Laura Loomer's claim that Abdul El-Sayed's 2012 letter supported the Muslim Brotherhood is false.
- The letter El-Sayed signed does not mention the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Mike Rogers has amplified the false claim in his Senate campaign.
- Prominent figures including Donald Trump have also amplified the accusation.
- El-Sayed's half-sister's social media posts from 2012-2013 are being used to link him to the group.
The Republican campaign against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is reportedly based on a false claim amplified by Laura Loomer and other allies of Donald Trump. Loomer, an influential adviser to Trump, has claimed since 2018 that an open letter El-Sayed signed in 2012 in support of democracy in Egypt was a public endorsement of the Muslim Brotherhood. The text of the letter, however, does not mention the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed's opponent, Mike Rogers, has amplified this mischaracterization, claiming El-Sayed pledged support to the group and even asked its head in Egypt to defund the police. Prominent figures including Trump, Ted Cruz, and Robert F Kennedy Jr. have also repeated the allegation. Republicans have also pointed to social media posts from El-Sayed's half-sister from 2012 and 2013 as evidence of family ties to the group, though El-Sayed maintains he has no such connections.