CBS News received backlash from left-leaning circles on Monday regarding a report that revisited past comments made by Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, related to the 9/11 attacks as the 25th anniversary approaches.
“As the nation prepares to mark 25 years since September 11, 2001, Abdul El-Sayed may face renewed scrutiny and political attacks,” CBS News reported.
The article highlighted El-Sayed’s deleted social media posts, including remarks from 2020 that compared the death toll from 9/11, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives, to that of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a post from September 11, 2021, revealed by The Washington Free Beacon, he wrote, “Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I’ll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country.”
Many of El-Sayed’s supporters and liberal commentators voiced their outrage, suggesting that linking him to the upcoming anniversary was inappropriate. For instance, far-left commentator Hasan Piker criticized the headline, stating, “What an insane headline.” He further linked the criticism of CBS to the broader context of media ownership changes.
Others, like Mehdi Hasan, questioned whether it was offensive and Islamophobic to initiate a discussion about a potential first Muslim Democratic senator with a reference to 9/11. Tim Miller, a podcast host and analyst, called the report “despicable anti-Muslim woke right garbage.” Similarly, Rep. Yassamin Ansari expressed disbelief at what she described as a blatantly racist headline.
Astead Herndon from Vox expressed disappointment with the media’s current state, lamenting the loss of credibility that has occurred in recent years.
In response to the backlash, a CBS News source stated that published reports about politicians’ deleted social media posts are quite common. El-Sayed addressed his past comments during a campaign trail interview, reiterating that the events of 9/11 were a disaster and emphasized the need for reflection on how to protect servicemen and women from unnecessary wars.
CBS News has yet to issue a comment regarding the situation.
