Rogers and Bash Clash Over El-Sayed Allegations

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and CNN anchor Dana Bash clashed during a televised interview over President Donald Trump’s description of Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed as a jihadist and Rogers’s allegations about El-Sayed’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Bash asked Rogers whether he was comfortable with Trump’s rhetoric, noting that Rogers had previously served as an FBI special agent and House intelligence committee chairman. Rogers replied that he had never called El-Sayed a terrorist and said people should be free to pray as they choose. He shifted the discussion to what he described as El-Sayed’s relationship, and his family’s relationship, with the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers alleged that El-Sayed had supported the group and its ideology, and argued that the issue was political beliefs rather than religion. The supplied reporting does not independently establish those allegations or provide records supporting them. El-Sayed’s campaign has rejected the accusations as racist and untrue, saying they target his faith and family. The interview also featured a town-hall clip in which a participant asked El-Sayed whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood....