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CBS News this week verified and pushed into the news cycle deleted social media posts from Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed that referenced the 9/11 attacks. The story has set off a loud, angry chorus from the left — not because the posts don’t matter, but because a big outlet dared to publish them without asking permission first.
What CBS News actually reported
The CBS piece unearthed two deleted posts from El‑Sayed. One from April 2020 compared the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 to the mounting COVID‑19 toll and urged a response as big as the post‑9/11 mobilization. Another advocated spending years fighting public health and poverty “like we launched a global #WaronTerror after 9/11.” The campaign insists “Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks,” and says older posts were deleted to avoid context problems. Fine — but deleting a post is not the same as explaining it.
The predictable left‑wing outrage
Progressive politicians and pundits reacted like someone sprung a leak in their press tent. U.S. Representative Yassamin Ansari called the headline “blatantly racist,” and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib accused CBS of intentional targeting. Pundits piled on, charging Islamophobia and bias. Translation: they are upset not because the reporting was unfair, but because a major outlet criticized a Democrat. If this had been a Republican, the same crowd would be demanding hearings.
Why this matters in the Michigan Senate race
This isn’t just a newsroom spat. The timing matters — an outlet verified deleted tweets about 9/11 as the campaign heads into a high‑stakes general election. The posts touch on national security, foreign policy and judgment — all fair game for voters. Whether you think El‑Sayed was making a policy point about costly wars or simply being clumsy, the public should see the exact words. Voters, not activists or editors, should decide what matters.
Bottom line: transparency beats performative outrage
CBS did what reporters are supposed to do: verify and publish. The left’s howl about racism and Islamophobia reads like a defense play straight out of every modern campaign manual: attack the messenger, not the message. Deleting social media posts doesn’t scrub them from history. If a candidate wants voters to forgive or understand old comments, explain them publicly — don’t blame the press for digging them up. The Michigan Senate race is getting real, and voters deserve the full picture.
