Political Debate on Islamist Ties and Threats

Rogers now accusing El-Sayed of lying in this interview

when NBC's Kristen Welker asked about ties to the Islamist movement,

the Muslim Brotherhood.

You don't have any ties?

No.

And your family doesn't?

No.

But newly revealed past tweets from El-Sayed's half-sister

appearing to call his answer into question.

These tweets have emerged now. "Had an amazing talk with my mom about her

activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early '70s while she was in college

#respect."

Tom, can you-

"My family has long been an MB..." Let me finish.

"Praying for all my family that supports the MB in Egypt." Can you

just explain it?

Yeah, Tom, uh, it's funny to me. I was born in 1984-

Right

... down the street in Rochester Hills.

I was raised here in Michigan, went to the University of Michigan,

rebuilt the

health department in this city, led the health department-

Yeah

... in this county, and you wanna ask me about what

was happening in Egypt in 1970?

Are you serious?

I, I get it, but you were asked a question-

This is kinda like the same-

... and you gave an answer

... this is, this is kinda like the same...

Yeah, I to- I'm telling you, like, we... I have no ties. We have no ties.

Like-

So your mother had no ties?

I have never had these conversations with my mother. I wasn't raised by my mother.

So you were, you were, you were unaware?

But, but, but I'm just telling you that, like-

Okay

... you're using hearsay evidence from a

tweet. Like, this is not serious.

Correct.

This is not serious.

But you've also gone after the president-

So I'm just gonna tell you right now-

... for truthfulness. You've also gone after the president-

Right

... for truthfulness, so when people ask you a question,

they all do expect the

truth.

And do you think, do you think... Are, are, are you insinuating

that somehow I was

lying?

I, I don't know. That's why I'm asking you.

And I'm telling you I was not.

And El-Sayed has faced scrutiny over this debate answer.

Who do you think's a bigger threat to the United States, Israel or Iran?

You have 60 seconds.

And again, Rick, I'm just gonna say that that's a ridiculous hypothetical.

So you do think Israel-

And I just think, I think-

... is a bigger threat?

I think when we, when we look at-

I just, I just wanna nail you down on this

... when we look at, when we look at our situation in the

world-

Do you think they're equally a threat to the US?

When we look at our situation in the world,

there is actively more war in the world because of what Israel is

pushing us into. We should never have fought a war with

Iran, right?

I agree that Iran can, is a, is a dangerous, uh, threat.

That's not, that's not a question.

But I also think that when you ostensibly have an ally that's

pushing you

into war with the, the country that is threatening you,

that does not make you any

safer.

You think they're both a threat?

Israel also a threat.

You think they're both a threat?

Yes. There's no... Look, we pay, we...

Last month alone-

Yeah

... we paid $2.8 billion

for 2,000-pound bombs for a foreign government.

Right.

Do, do you think that makes us safer? Is that good for us?