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Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers torched his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, during their debate Wednesday over his alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Rogers, a former Republican congressman and retired FBI agent, brought up an open letter to the terror group that El-Sayed reportedly signed in 2012 — and refused to comment on when asked by the New York Times.
“So — being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood, having donors to his campaign from Hamas that support Hezbollah, is not a problem?” Rogers said.
“If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America? Or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” he argued. “You can grin, and you can smile, and you can talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what, that is a risk to our national security.”
El-Sayed, a former public health official, later fumed that Rogers would question his allegiances.
“To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you,” he said.
The showdown marked the second and final debate between the two candidates.
In their fiery first debate earlier this month, El-Sayed repeatedly refused to say whether he considers Iran or Israel to be the “greater threat to the United States” — calling the question “ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, Rogers indicated that he would no longer support Israel if it were to use nuclear weapons.
El-Sayed also accused Rogers of taking corporate dollars and being bought and paid for by donors, while Rogers attempted to tie his Muslim opponent to Islamic extremism.
The race for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has been one of the most contentious of the midterm cycle. The outcome of the Nov. 3 contest could determine which party controls the Senate next year.
Polls have regularly pegged the Michigan Senate race as a toss-up.
El-Sayed has a slight 2-percentage-point edge over Rogers in the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.