Overview
- Republican posts claimed Abdul El‑Sayed said America "deserved 9/11," but multiple fact-checks found no evidence he ever made that remark.
- Those checks traced the phrase to streamer Hasan Piker, who said it on a 2019 Twitch livestream and later tried to walk the comment back as criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
- Mike Rogers posted the accusation on social accounts and Sen. Tom Cotton reposted the claim Wednesday before correcting his message to say El‑Sayed had campaigned with someone who made the remark.
- El‑Sayed has publicly denied endorsing the 2019 comment and defended campaigning with Piker as an effort to reach the influencer’s large online audience.
- The episode highlights how quickly misattributed quotes spread on social platforms, how high‑profile politicians can amplify false claims, and why influencer ties have become a campaign vulnerability.