Overview
- Audio released Monday by the Washington Free Beacon captured Abdul El-Sayed telling staff to avoid any comment on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death because “a lot of people in Dearborn are sad,” in what he framed as a tactical choice.
- The recording also captured El-Sayed planning to deflect questions by invoking Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, saying, “I’m just gonna go straight to pedophilia, frankly.”
- The campaign’s lawyers at Sandler Reiff told the Free Beacon the call was recorded without permission and said they are considering legal options against the individual who made it.
- Republican groups and conservative outlets amplified the clip within hours, while Mediaite noted the swift push by the NRSC to circulate the remarks as Democrats in Michigan reacted to the fallout.
- El-Sayed remains slated to appear April 7 with streamer Hasan Piker at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, a choice criticized by rival Mallory McMorrow and made more sensitive given Dearborn’s large Muslim and Arab-American electorate.