Sen. Tom Cotton mistakenly credited Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed with a 2019 "America deserved 9/11" remark that was actually made by commentator Hasan Piker. After being corrected, Cotton revised his post to criticize El‑Sayed's associations instead of attributing the quote directly. The error drew similar misattributions from other Republicans, prompted public pushback, and intensified scrutiny of El‑Sayed's ties to Piker ahead of the general election.
Sen. Tom Cotton Retracts False Claim After Misattributing 'America Deserved 9/11' Remark to Abdul El‑Sayed
Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday secured the Democratic nomination for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat.Finn Gomez via Getty Images
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) backtracked after wrongly attributing a 2019 remark about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El‑Sayed. The comment in question — that "America deserved 9/11" — originated from left-wing commentator Hasan Piker during a 2019 Twitch broadcast, not El‑Sayed.
On Wednesday, Cotton reposted a message from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) celebrating El‑Sayed's primary victory and added:
"Senate Democrats are 'excited' for Abdul El‑Sayed who proudly said America deserved 9/11. The Islamic‑Marxists truly are taking over the Democratic party. We must never give them power."
After critics pointed out the error, Cotton amended his post to say that El‑Sayed "proudly campaigns with extremists who say America deserved 9/11," shifting his claim from a direct quotation to an allegation about associations.
Hasan Piker — who has campaigned with El‑Sayed in the past — later called his own 2019 remark inappropriate and said he intended it as a condemnation of U.S. foreign‑policy decisions, arguing that certain actions abroad have consequences. On the podcast The Young Turks in 2019, Piker said: "Every part of what I advocate for is against violence. I abhor violence. I think it's awful."
The mix‑up was not limited to Cotton. Mike Rogers, the Republican who will face El‑Sayed in the general election, also attributed the quote to El‑Sayed on social media, prompting further pushback. Semafor reporter David Weigel criticized the Republican response, suggesting it was aimed more at forcing a denial than fact‑checking.
Some Democrats have expressed concern about El‑Sayed's association with Piker. Sen. John Fetterman (D‑Pa.) warned on Fox News that the relationship could be exploited in a general election, and strategist James Carville criticized elements of the progressive left on CNN without naming El‑Sayed directly.
This episode highlights how misattribution on social media can quickly shape political narratives and underscores the heightened scrutiny candidates face over their associations. El‑Sayed has not been shown to have made the 2019 remark himself, and the correction by Cotton narrowed the dispute to El‑Sayed's political alliances rather than a direct statement.
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