CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford deleted an X post criticizing Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after a town hall exchange about whether he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. Crawford later said the post violated CBS News standards and apologized.
The exchange took place Saturday. A voter identified in the report as Tommy asked El-Sayed whether he would disavow the organization, amid allegations about family connections. El-Sayed answered, “Sure” and “absolutely,” then questioned why the voter had directed the question to him. He said the question suggested he had “dual loyalties” because he is Muslim and asked whether the voter had asked others to disavow the group.
El-Sayed later posted a video of the interaction on X, describing Tommy as having asked about his allegiances and inviting viewers to watch through the end of the clip.
Crawford initially praised the voter and criticized El-Sayed’s response. She wrote that his brief affirmative answer was followed by what she characterized as a lengthy speech that reinforced the point behind the question. By Sunday, she had deleted that post. In a separate message, Crawford said sharing the town hall video in that way breached network standards and apologized.
Her original post prompted criticism from several commentators and Democratic strategists. Karen Finney accused Crawford of helping a Republican operative spread what Finney called false and racist claims about El-Sayed. Democratic strategist Keith Edwards said Crawford should be fired. Zeteo CEO Mehdi Hasan also criticized the post, arguing it was inappropriate for a “straight news” reporter.
Curtis Houck, managing editor of the media watchdog NewsBusters, defended Crawford in comments to Fox News Digital. He said calls to fire her reflected a double standard, and argued that journalists at other outlets also post strong opinions online. Houck said Crawford should be allowed to express her views and pointed to her career covering the Supreme Court.
A CBS News spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to Crawford’s statement and declined further comment. Fox News Digital also sought comment from El-Sayed’s campaign; the supplied report did not include a response to that request.
The report says El-Sayed has faced questions in recent weeks over claims of family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign previously described those allegations to Fox News as “racist and untrue.” Separately, El-Sayed told Fox News senior correspondent Mike Tobin on Saturday that his sister-in-law, Mariam Jukaku, had been involved in a 2016 federal terrorist watchlist lawsuit. El-Sayed said she “did nothing wrong,” was included in the matter, and sued successfully. He also criticized the system he said led to her being placed on a watchlist.
The report does not establish that El-Sayed or his relatives were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It describes the family-connection claims as allegations and presents the town hall exchange, Crawford’s apology, and the public reactions to her post.
