El-Sayed weighs in on Piker controversy: ‘Nobody speaks for this campaign besides me’

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed weighed in on the blowback from far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker’s comments about a House candidate in the Great Lakes State, stating “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” El-Sayed said in a statement on social media. “Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”

“But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople,” he added.

Piker, who campaigned alongside El-Sayed, stated in a recent Twitch stream that U.S. support for Israel is unpopular, suggesting that if “Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action.”

“Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” he added.

The remarks were spurred by “manipulated and unsourced” audio of Michigan House candidate Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish, purportedly saying, “I would say that the entire purpose of my campaign is to make sure America continues to support Israel.”

Moss denounced the audio clip circulating over social media last week.

“There is a manipulated and unsourced audio, with things I never did and never would say, that is nothing more than political disinformation intended to portray me as anti-American,” Moss wrote in a lengthy post on the social platform X. “It peddles in offensive tropes and lies — especially the lie of dual loyalty suggesting that Jews are never fully citizens of or loyal to their home countries.”

Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) condemned Piker’s comments, seeking to tie them to El-Sayed.

“More calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign … Here is his running mate, Hasan Piker, saying that if AMERICAN JEWS support Israel, they will be violently targeted because of it,” Rogers wrote on X .

Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), who backed El-Sayed’s primary opponent Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), also condemned Piker’s remarks, calling the streamer a “hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance.”

El-Sayed’s Monday statement did not explicitly condemn Piker’s remarks. The candidate has previously defended campaigning with Piker despite his past controversial statements, including saying that America “deserved” the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Piker defended himself on X , saying that “this isn’t a call for violence” and that “falsely tying israel to jewish people IS increasing antisemitism.”

“And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare,” El-Sayed said in his statement. “Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about. It’s why I’m fighting to get money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for All.”

The Michigan Senate seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D) is seen as one of Republicans’ best pickup opportunities in the fall. The controversies stacking up around Piker could hurt Democrats’ chances of keeping the seat in November.