A far-left Democrat vying for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, Abdul El-Sayed, is facing intense scrutiny as newly surfaced audio recordings directly contradict his past claims that he never supported the radical "defund the police" movement. For years, El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from the dangerous rhetoric, but the truth, as it often does, has a way of re-emerging at the most inconvenient times.
Despite his repeated denials, recordings from June 2020 paint a starkly different picture. In one interview, El-Sayed explicitly described his vision for reducing police funding while diverting taxpayer dollars to other programs – a clear endorsement of the "defund" agenda, no matter how he tried to rebrand it.
"We are in a moment when a lot of our public conversation gets chewed down into 280 characters or less. And that is not the best way to talk about anything. So, you'll note, I didn't say 'defund the police,' I just described what needed to be done," El-Sayed said in 2020, attempting to parse words while advocating for the core policy.
He continued, laying bare his true intentions: "Defunding the police is disinvesting in the means of incarcerating someone or killing them on the streets and investing more in the means of educating and empowering and engaging communities with the means of being able to take on systemic poverty that we've allowed to fester in too many communities." It's a transparent attempt to soften radical policy with progressive jargon, but the meaning is unmistakable: less policing, more taxpayer funding for left-wing social programs.
These comments, originally made as the "defund the police" movement gained traction following the death of George Floyd, now highlight El-Sayed's opportunistic shift. His campaign has since admitted his views have "changed," a convenient pivot as he seeks higher office. But voters deserve honesty, not a carefully managed evolution of radical positions.
This isn't just about old interviews. El-Sayed has a history of publicly advocating for defunding. He repeatedly voiced support for the movement in several social media posts that were later deleted, clearly arguing that police departments receive excessive funding at the expense of other public services.
"Most major US cities spend WAY TOO MUCH on police departments to police poverty & WAY TOO LITTLE on public schools, health departments, recreation departments, & housing to eliminate poverty. Fixing that is what the #Defund movement is about," El-Sayed wrote in a deleted June 2020 post. He went even further in another deleted post from the same month, declaring, "The police have become standing armies we deploy against our own people." These are not the words of someone merely "misrepresented"; they are the explicit calls of a movement dedicated to dismantling law enforcement.
Currently leading the Democrat primary for Michigan’s critical U.S. Senate seat, El-Sayed's evasions are particularly concerning. A recent Mitchell Research poll showed him ahead with 28%, positioning him for a showdown against common-sense Republican candidate and former House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers in November. Yet, just last week, El-Sayed refused to give a direct yes-or-no answer when pressed on whether he still supports defunding the police. Instead, he deflected, telling voters to judge him on his "track record" running a county health department, rather than his deeply troubling past statements.
The stark contrast between El-Sayed’s words and his current political maneuvering serves as a potent reminder of what's at stake. Michigan voters face a clear choice: a candidate who once saw police as "standing armies" and championed defunding, or an America First approach that prioritizes law and order, public safety, and accountability. It's time to reject radical ideology and elect leaders who stand with our communities, not against them.
