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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed accused Trump of inciting terrorism over Whitmer kidnapping plot

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed accused Trump of inciting terrorism over Whitmer kidnapping plot

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan, once accused President Donald Trump of inciting terrorism in a 2020 interview, citing a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These are terrorists; we have to call them that. We have to recognize that that is what the face of terrorism looks like right now. We have to step up against it,” El-Sayed said. “We gotta ask: why are these people getting radicalized? Well, there must be some radical, extremist cleric out there who may be tweeting up a storm about all the things that they think need to be done, like liberating Michigan.” El-Sayed’s comments come as he wages a tight primary race against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., with the Aug. 4 primary now less than a month away. His remarks also raise questions about his views on political rhetoric and its connection to violence. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER HE STILL SUPPORTS DEFUNDING THE POLICE His comments reference a foiled plan to kidnap Whitmer that first surfaced in 2020. A group of men associated with anti-government and militia circles, including the Wolverine Watchmen, allegedly planned to kidnap the governor from her vacation home in northern Michigan in an effort to end her COVID-19 restrictions. The plot was foiled in October by law enforcement before any attempt was ever made. Notably, The New York Times later reported that four of the 12 people charged in the alleged plot had been government agents or informants, prompting accusations of entrapment. Although President Donald Trump did not call for any kind of violence against Whitmer, El-Sayed said he believed the president was at least partially responsible, pointing to a tweet Trump had made six months before the discovered plot. WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter, the social media platform now known as X. The post was one of a series calling to “liberate” Virginia and Minnesota from COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Democratic governors. According to FBI comments to local media, the plot originated before Trump’s post. El-Sayed called the posts emblematic of a cultural toxicity that had made violence more likely. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The idea that people would threaten her safety because she was willing to stand up to keep us all healthy is, to me, the example of what the kind of toxicity that we see out of Donald Trump creates,” El-Sayed said. “And right now, the threat we are seeing is radical, far-right White Supremacy and the terrorists who would undo our society’s basic norms and mores.” DSA MEMBER LEADS DEM PRIMARY IN MIDWEST BATTLEGROUND BUT TRAILS LIKELY GOP NOMINEE: POLL El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on whether his position on Trump’s rhetoric had changed in light of The New York Times reporting. El-Sayed will face off against Stevens in the state’s Aug. 4 primaries.

WATCH: Scalise serves up Olive Garden reality check for Democrats in voter ID fight

WATCH: Scalise serves up Olive Garden reality check for Democrats in voter ID fight

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is comparing the lack of a federal voter ID law to an identification requirement at one of America’s most well-known chain restaurants. “If you want to go buy unlimited pasta at the Olive Garden, they said you have to show your ID,” Scalise told Fox News Digital in an interview earlier this week. He also pointed out that the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) required attendees to show ID in order to enter the venue. SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS “Democrats are saying it somehow impedes people’s ability to participate, yet Democrats themselves wouldn’t even let you go to their convention without showing ID,” Scalise said. “I’m not against them having to require ID – but by the way, everybody understands it, and everybody gets it in polling. You know, if you’re Black, if you’re White, if you are Hispanic, if you’re Republican, or Democrat, or Independent, you understand that an ID makes sense because it protects your right to vote.” He also listed boarding a plane and buying “a six-pack of beer” as situations where a photo ID was required as well. “How about the franchise of American democracy? Let’s make sure you are who you say you are and illegals can’t vote in American elections,” Scalise said. TRUMP INTERVENES AS HOUSE GOP REVOLT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AT CENTER OF SPENDING SHOWDOWN Republicans have emphasized polling showing broad support for voter ID requirements as their main argument against Democrats’ opposition to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which was advanced by the House multiple times but has stalled in the Senate. Democrats have argued the election integrity package is tantamount to voter suppression, claiming it would make it harder for married women who have changed their names to vote and make absentee voting more burdensome. Another provision in SAVE America that’s angering Democrats would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) comprehensive access to states’ voter rolls. But Republicans say that’s not true. The SAVE America Act, among other provisions, would mandate proof of citizenship in the voter registration process and implement a federal photo ID requirement to vote in U.S. elections. WHITE HOUSE DISHES OUT NEW ELECTION SECURITY JAB OVER OLIVE GARDEN’S PASTA PASS ID POLICY And Republicans have seized on a temporary promotion at the Italian-American restaurant chain Olive Garden as the latest example of the commonsense reasoning behind photo ID. Earlier this month, the restaurant chain unveiled a “Never-ending pasta pass,” which would give 10,000 customers unlimited pasta for dine-in visits across 13 weeks, for the price of $100. The Olive Garden website states that “Passholders must present a photo I.D. along with Pass at time of ordering” to ensure one pass is not being shared by multiple people. House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., referenced the promotion during debate on a separate voter ID measure earlier this week, which Democrats also opposed. “The never ending pasta bowl is back at Olive Garden. I used to work at Olive Garden, so this hit close to home. But to safeguard the integrity of their pasta program, Olive Garden, as you may have seen, implemented photo ID requirements,” Steil said. “However, in jurisdictions across the country from Illinois and California or Minnesota, an individual can go to the polls on Election Day and cast a ballot without providing confirmation, without providing confirmation of their identity.” That measure, which would require photo voter ID even when sending mail-in ballots, passed the House earlier this week with the help of just 13 Democrats.