The radical ally of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in an interview Thursday that the United States has committed more terrorism than the radical Islamic group behind 9/11.
Hasan Piker told Axios that, “pound for pound,” the United States had killed more people than al-Qaeda, the organization that plotted and carried out the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Piker, a popular leftist streamer who once said America “deserved 9/11,” has campaigned alongside El-Sayed.
“Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes,” Piker told Axios. “We have caused tremendous terror all around the world.”
Piker accused the United States of intentionally striking an Iranian school early on in the war. While some reports have pinned bad intelligence for the accidental strike, the Pentagon said it is investigating the incident.
“If you’re killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror,” Piker said. “This doesn’t mean that all Americans are terrorists, but the reality of the matter is we have to create an environment of accountability to ensure things like that never happen again.”
El-Sayed, who attended a pool party with Piker the night before the Democratic primary election, said he disagreed with his latest incendiary rhetoric.
“I do not agree with this statement [on al-Qaeda], nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer. I am more concerned with the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and Mike Rogers that are raising the prices of gas, groceries and healthcare for Michiganders,” he told Axios.
Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers slammed El-Sayed over Piker’s comments.
“Conman [Abdul El-Sayed’s] running mate Hasan Piker just said that America is worse than Al-Qaeda,” he said. “Abdul — enough is enough. Condemn Piker once and for all.”
Since winning the Democratic nomination, El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from the streamer without outright disavowing him.
“Look, I’m less focused on folks who are campaigning with me, more focused on the folks I’m campaigning to,” El-Sayed said when asked if he planned to renounce Piker. “I think it’s important to stay in touch with the folks you want to elect you.
In recent weeks, El-Sayed has continued to avoid any outright condemnation of Piker, choosing to call him a “Twitch streamer” who does not speak for his campaign. Piker contended earlier this year that El-Sayed invited him to come to Michigan to stump for his campaign.
El-Sayed has faced criticism for his own past comments on 9/11 when he compared the terror attack to COVID deaths and lamented the “rise in white supremacist violence.”
.png)
.png)
