CNN: 2020 Interviews Contrast With Abdul El-Sayed’s Recent Statements on Defunding Police
CNN found El-Sayed repeatedly backed shifting police funds to mental health and anti-poverty programs, undercutting his recent denials.
- A CNN review found that Abdul El-Sayed previously endorsed the defund the police movement in 2020 and 2021 interviews, contradicting his current claims that he never called for such policies.
- His comments emerged during the 2020 movement following George Floyd's murder, when polling showed 70% of respondents opposed defunding police while 82% of Michigan registered voters favored local law enforcement.
- Interviews and writings from 2020 and 2021 show El-Sayed embracing the movement's substance, describing it as disinvesting in incarceration to invest in mental health and anti-poverty efforts.
- Last week, El-Sayed told CNN's Kasie Hunt he deleted the posts because they were taken 'out of context,' insisting he 'never, never called for defunding' the police.
- Michigan Republicans are expected to scrutinize these positions ahead of the August primary, as the Democratic nominee will face Rep Mike Rogers in the general election for this Senate seat.
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8 Articles
Michigan's el Sayed backed defunding the police in 2020 despite denial
Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul el Sayed displayed strong public support for defunding the police in 2020 despite denying he backed the movement, according to reported interviews from that year. El Sayed is heading into a heated Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and has faced backlash over previous posts he made supporting the “defund the police” movement that arose in the summer of 2020. The candidate has c…
‘We do need to defund the police’: 2020 interviews undermine Abdul El-Sayed’s claim he never advocated for unpopular movement
Michigan Democratic Senate front-runner Abdul El-Sayed has faced criticism for previous comments he made about defunding the police. In recent interviews, El-Sayed has insisted he “never, never called for defunding” the police. But interviews from 2020 show El-Sayed repeatedly endorsed defunding the police
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