{"id":35211,"date":"2026-08-09T21:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T16:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35211"},"modified":"2026-08-09T21:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T16:41:28","slug":"michael-larosa-refuses-to-back-el-sayed-over-9-11-extremist-rhetoric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35211","title":{"rendered":"Michael LaRosa refuses to back El-Sayed over 9\/11 extremist rhetoric"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Former Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRosa said he won\u2019t support Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, citing the candidate\u2019s refusal to distance himself from far-left streamer <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449601\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/hasan-piker\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hasan Piker<\/a> over his past remarks about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">LaRosa, who served as press secretary to former first lady Jill Biden, made the unusually sharp break with his party in a post responding to reports that he was supporting Republican Mike Rogers over El-Sayed.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">At the center of LaRosa\u2019s criticism is El-Sayed\u2019s association with Piker, who drew widespread condemnation after saying during a 2019 livestream that &#8220;<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449602\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6403036468112\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">America deserved 9\/11.<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449603\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/el-sayed-socialist-allies-dismiss-gop-claims-democrats-embracing-far-left\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>EL-SAYED&#8217;S SOCIALIST ALLIES REJECT GOP CLAIMS ABOUT DEMS EMBRACING THE FAR LEFT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/rogers-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/rogers-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/rogers-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/rogers-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/rogers-sayed.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Rogers and Sayed\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is making a direct pitch to Michigan Democrats following Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s primary victory.<\/span> <span>(Sarah Rice\/Getty Images ; JEFF KOWALSKY \/ AFP via Getty Images))<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">El-Sayed has <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449604\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6402961859112\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">campaigned alongside Piker<\/a> and, when pressed about the remark, has argued that appearing with the streamer does not mean he endorses everything Piker has said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">For LaRosa, the controversy is deeply personal. He said the mother of his best friend died on Sept. 11 after jumping from the 95th floor of the World Trade Center rather than remain inside the burning building.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I won\u2019t defend or support anyone who is too cowardly to stand up to extremists who think the mother of my best friend, who jumped from 95 stories because the alternative was worse, deserved what happened to her,&#8221; LaRosa wrote. &#8220;Her only crime was showing up to work that morning.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449605\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/hasan-piker-calls-democrats-oppose-abdul-el-sayed-punished\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>HASAN PIKER CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS WHO OPPOSE ABDUL EL-SAYED TO BE &#8216;PUNISHED&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaRosa concluded by accusing El-Sayed of refusing to stand up to &#8220;the guy who says she \u2018deserved\u2019 what she got that morning she showed up for work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaRosa\u2019s rebuke is about more than one Democrat refusing to back another.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">It highlights a growing fault line within the party over extremism and the boundaries of acceptable political rhetoric. Those divisions could ultimately push some longtime Democrats across the aisle in <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_449606\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/elections\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">consequential races<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/michigan-rally-el-sayed.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/michigan-rally-el-sayed.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/michigan-rally-el-sayed.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/michigan-rally-el-sayed.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/michigan-rally-el-sayed.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"People attend a Michigan Unity Rally for Democrats who won their Primary election on August 7, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>El-Sayed is facing Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the open seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, setting up a closely watched contest in the battleground state that could factor heavily into the fight for control of the Senate.<\/span> <span>(Bill Pugliano\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">That dynamic could prove particularly consequential in Michigan, where the Senate contest could help shape the balance of power in Washington and even a small erosion of Democratic support could matter.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Former Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRosa said he won\u2019t support Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, citing the candidate\u2019s refusal to distance himself from far-left streamer Hasan Piker over his past remarks about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. LaRosa, who served as press secretary to former&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/abdul-el-sayed-august-4-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}