El-Sayed Under Fire for Deleted Videos Claiming Southern Border Not Important Issue, Calling for Replacement of Second Amendment

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny after old YouTube videos surfaced showing the candidate calling for the replacement of the Second Amendment and dismissing the southern border as a top concern for Americans.The videos, some of which have since been deleted or set to private, were reported by CNN’s K-File and come as El-Sayed prepares to face Republican Mike Rogers in November’s general election. Mr. El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens in the August 4 primary.In one now-removed clip, Mr. El-Sayed floated replacing the Second Amendment’s constitutional right to bear arms with a right to health care. In another deleted video, he argued that the southern border was not among Americans’ five biggest concerns, pushing back against what had become a central talking point for Republicans during President Biden’s term.CNN noted that the videos “are another example of how El-Sayed’s years as a prolific podcaster, commentator and social-media user have left behind an extensive record — some of it subsequently deleted — that Republicans could use to portray him as both ideologically left-wing and culturally out of step with swing-state voters.”Mr. El-Sayed’s campaign has sought to distance the candidate from the older footage. “Cherry-picked comments from old podcasts don’t reflect his beliefs today,” a campaign spokesman wrote on X, adding that Mr. El-Sayed “respects the Second Amendment.”Republican critics have seized on the revelations. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas urged voters to oppose the candidate, describing Mr. El-Sayed as a “true radical who has palled around with people that said America had 9/11 coming. “He wants to abolish ICE. He wants to stop border enforcement. He wants confiscatory levels of taxation for hardworking Americans,” Mr. Cotton added.The controversy adds to a string of damaging revelations for Mr. El-Sayed. He previously faced scrutiny after audio surfaced showing he had explicitly supported efforts to defund the police — despite having claimed he never used the phrase. That admission came from a 2020 radio interview.Despite the mounting criticism, Mr. El-Sayed has drawn support from prominent progressive figures. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York recently said he “represents the politics of the future” for America.

El-Sayed Under Fire for Deleted Videos Claiming Southern Border Not Important Issue, Calling for Replacement of Second Amendment

El-Sayed Under Fire for Deleted Videos Claiming Southern Border Not Important Issue, Calling for Replacement of Second Amendment

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