El-Sayed Apologizes for March Comment About Michigan Synagogue Attack
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, faced criticism from Jewish Democrats after remarking, “hurt people hurt people.”
Steve Friess reported from Lansing, Mich.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, apologized to a group of Jewish Democrats on Saturday for a statement he made in March about an attack on a synagogue near Detroit, saying that “nobody deserves to have their pain trampled on.”
Dr. El-Sayed, who is trying to appeal to Jewish Democrats who have expressed deep skepticism about his candidacy, said he should not have included a phrase — “hurt people hurt people” — in a video statement he issued soon after a man drove his truck into the synagogue , injuring a guard. The authorities said the attack, on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., was a targeted act against Jews.
“I made a mistake,” said Dr. El-Sayed, responding to a question while addressing the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus at a party convention in Lansing. “I should have issued a statement, of course condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.”
The latest comments came at a tense moment for Dr. El-Sayed, whose race could decide control of the Senate. He has been under pressure from Jewish Democrats to condemn Hasan Piker, a streamer who has made incendiary comments about Israel and campaigned with Dr. El-Sayed during the primary race.
