Abdul El-Sayed hears Sen. John Kennedy claim he sleeps in a bin Laden jersey. Then he hits back: ‘Rich coming from someone who wears his bed sheets’

A video shared by Drop Site News’s Julian Andreone captured Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana speaking alongside Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Kennedy told the group, “Look, AIPAC wouldn’t be, they wouldn’t come here, if Dr. El-Sayed didn’t sleep in a bin Laden jersey.” He followed with, “I’m just telling you,” while Rogers laughed beside him.

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the same seat, later addressed the remark on social media. He wrote on X, “That’s rich coming from someone who wears his bed sheets out at night.” Andreone had noted in his post that El-Sayed has never said anything in support of Osama Bin Laden and that he is just Muslim. AIPAC stands for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, described as a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group.

The exchange added to a series of comments directed at El-Sayed since he won the Democratic primary in August. Other Republicans have used terms such as terrorist, radical Islamist, and jihadist when referring to him.

Comments from Republicans and details from the Senate debate

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama posted that El-Sayed is a “TERRORIST” and “RADICAL ISLAMIST.” President Donald Trump shared images of First Lady Melania Trump next to El-Sayed’s wife wearing a hijab, accompanied by the text “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.” Laura Loomer called on people to describe El-Sayed as a “jihadist.”

In the candidates’ debate this week, Rogers brought up the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, and Hamas several times. He also said El-Sayed’s mother had worked for an organization with ties to Al Qaeda. El-Sayed replied, “You’re gonna go after my mom?”

According to a report from WGVU Public Media, El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Elkomy, worked as a nurse practitioner for the Islamic American Relief Agency in the 2000s. Leaders of that group were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice during the Bush administration with violating sanctions after sending money to Iraq. The report stated that Rogers provided no evidence that Elkomy knew about those actions, and she was never charged or named as a co-conspirator.

After the debate, Trump referred to El-Sayed as a “jihadist lunatic” and called him Mohammed rather than Abdul. El-Sayed has drawn support from unexpected quarters, as when Tucker Carlson backed him and he called Mike Rogers unfit to serve. In an interview with MS NOW, El-Sayed discussed the comments from Republicans. He said, “They’re going to use Islamophobia because their ideas are tired.”

Kennedy’s statement about the bin Laden jersey and El-Sayed’s written reply circulated as part of the campaign discussion. The debate also featured Rogers’ questions about El-Sayed’s family background and El-Sayed’s direct response to them.

Trump’s post-debate remarks and the MS NOW interview added further statements to the public record of the race.The debate’s tensions carried past the stage, as when Mike Rogers skipped Tuesday’s debate over alleged moderator bias and Abdul El-Sayed called him a coward on local TV.