El-Sayed’s Senate bid raises new concerns over a powerful privilege that comes with the job

Conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital are raising concerns about what could happen if Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed wins his election and, by virtue of holding office, becomes eligible to receive certain classified information.

Unlike congressional staffers and many executive-branch officials, senators are not required to obtain a formal executive-branch security clearance to be eligible for classified information related to their official duties. If El-Sayed wins in November, he would not have to go through the same formal security-clearance process as many other government officials because members of Congress are generally considered eligible for access to classified information by virtue of holding elected office.

Those issues have raised concerns among some national security and policy experts.

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“Anyone refusing to disavow America-hater Hasan Piker should never be elected to Congress. El-Sayed will use his perch in the Senate to undermine America and empower its enemies,” Daniel Samet, a research fellow specializing in Middle East policy at the center-right American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital.

Samet argued that El-Sayed has associated with people who support the intifada and terrorist causes and that he has shown sympathy for radical Islamist ideology.

Fox News Digital and other outlets have reported on El-Sayed’s appearances and political relationships with individuals who have expressed support for or made favorable statements about U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.

In April, for instance, El-Sayed was introduced at a campaign rally by Amir Makled, a man who previously celebrated dead members of the terrorist organization Hezbollah as “martyr[s].” A few months later, at a mosque opening, El-Sayed shared a stage with Sheikh Fadhel al-Sahlani, a cleric who has previously praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and made remarks minimizing the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.

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He also accepted an endorsement from Osama Siblani, who has praised both Hamas and Hezbollah.

Critics have also pointed to El-Sayed’s relationship with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that America “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed has since called that statement “dumb,” and distanced himself from Piker, though stopped short of totally disavowing him.

“Abdul’s running to keep Americans safe and bring down costs for Michigan families. Mike Rogers spent his entire career selling out Michigan, and has directly profited off shady business dealings with foreign companies,” campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak told Fox News Digital.

“Rogers made hundreds of thousands of dollars working for companies that partnered with Chinese firms posing ‘national security threats’ to the US, and worked for a Saudi-linked company that pushed for regulations that could have ‘enabled Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons.’ Mike Rogers got rich selling out Michiganders and he can’t be trusted to keep us safe,” the statement continued.

On China, the El-Sayed spokesperson was apparently referencing Rogers’ work in the telecommunications industry at companies that had business dealings involving Huawei. While serving in the House, Rogers was a vocal critic of Huawei. The Saudi Arabia jab was a reference to Rogers’ work with a Saudi-linked company that drew criticism over its efforts to transfer nuclear energy technology to the Middle Eastern kingdom.

The Rogers campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Beyond El-Sayed’s professional relationships, critics have also pointed to statements and past employment involving members of his family.

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“His affiliation with communists like Hasan Piker who claimed America deserved 9/11 combined with repeated calls to abolish ICE compound these concerns. Senators handle sensitive intelligence with major national security implications; Giving someone like El-Sayed access would put American lives at risk,” Heritage Action government relations director Chip Wyatt, who previously served as a mid-level staffer to Sen. Mike Lee, told Fox News Digital.

The Senate hopeful’s half-sister has also been criticized over an “October 7th blessing” she posted on the first anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack. El-Sayed previously told Fox News Digital that, while he loves his sister, the two have disagreements as it relates to foreign policy. His campaign has also stressed that no one speaks for El-Sayed except for the man himself.

Some have suggested that, with the crop of Democratic Socialists of America affiliated candidates making runs for office in 2026, the alleged problem could be much bigger than just El-Sayed.

“I think it’s a huge issue, and I don’t think it stops at just him,” America First Works president Ashley Hayek told Fox News Digital. “You have to look at all the candidates that are being adored by groups like the DSA, the Working Families Party, UnidosUS, the Party for Socialism and Liberation — they’re all tied together. A lot of these groups are also funded by Neville Singham.”

A 2023 New York Times investigation identified Singham as a major funder within a network of U.S. activist organizations that the newspaper reported had connections to pro-Beijing messaging.

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Concerns that a senator could leak information they’re not supposed to are not merely hypothetical, according to Bryce Poole, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, a think tank affiliated with former Vice President Mike Pence.

“It was not that long ago, it was 2024, when Robert Menendez was prosecuted and convicted for being a foreign agent of Egypt essentially and in 2025 I believe he was sentenced to 11 years,” Poole, who specializes in national security law, told Fox News Digital. “Now, if I recall correctly none of this stuff that he actually shared with the Egyptians was alleged to have been classified, but it was still non-public information that was sensitive information that he only had access to by virtue of his office as a senator. So it’s not that this is just a hypothetical problem.”