Overview
- The audio from a March 1 campaign call, released Monday by the Washington Free Beacon, captured El‑Sayed urging no public comment on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing because “a lot of people in Dearborn are sad,” referring to the city’s large Muslim and Arab‑American population.
- The recording showed him planning to pivot if pressed by labeling President Donald Trump a “pedophile president” tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
- It also captured him proposing a shift to criticism of Israel and the pro‑Israel group AIPAC as a way to reframe media questions.
- His campaign’s lawyers said the call was recorded without permission and said they are weighing legal options against the individual who made it.
- El‑Sayed later posted a statement saying the Free Beacon “may have illegally and unethically obtained” the audio and did not address Khamenei in that statement.