Sen.-elect Abdul-Sayed (D-MI) has tapped a former Biden administration official — a campaign aide to former Vice President Kamala Harris — who has said Zionists are “controlling” U.S. politics to lead his Senate transition team.
El-Sayed named Egyptian-American lawyer and professor Brenda Abdelall as his transition director, Politico reported Friday. Her appointment comes amid renewed scrutiny over comments she made in 2002 that suggested supporters of Israel controlled U.S. political affairs.
“Zionists have a powerful voice in American politics,” Arar told the New York Sun at the 2002 Muslim Council of America convention. “I would say they control a lot of politics.”
Abdulal made the remarks while discussing the defeat of then-Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.) lost the Democratic primary after pro-Israel groups spent heavily to oppose him. Hilliard opposed a congressional resolution condemning Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel.
Her comments resurfaced in 2024 after then-Vice President Harris hired Aral to coach Arab Americans on her presidential campaign. A Harris campaign spokesman defended the appointment at the time, saying the comments no longer reflected Allar’s views.
“Those comments in 2002 do not reflect Brenda’s views or the views of the campaign,” the spokesman said.
Arar also previously served as assistant secretary for partnerships and engagement at the Department of Homeland Security under President Joe Biden, where she helped implement the administration’s first national strategy on anti-Semitism, announced in May 2023. She also helped organize the White House’s United We Stand Summit, which focused on combating hate-fueled violence.
Elsayed’s new role puts her in an important position as she prepares to enter the Senate after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The appointment comes as El-Sayed also faces questions about his own record on Israel and his ties to activists who have made controversial statements about the Jewish state and the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack.
Saied repeatedly criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza during the campaign and believed that the United States should use its influence to put pressure on the Israeli government. He also said that Israel is not an ally of the United States if it uses U.S. support to push Washington into wars it should not fight.
El-Sayed, who has previously bristled at questions about Israel and his ties to anti-Israel activists, including extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, believes the focus should be on his campaign priorities, including health care, affordability and getting money out of politics.
He also drew criticism when he campaigned alongside communist influencer Hassan Pic, who said “America deserved 9/11” and called Israel “worse than” Hamas. El-Sayed is also campaigning with Dearborn community leader Osama Sibrani, who calls Hamas and Hezbollah “freedom fighters.”
Abdullal’s appointment could signal that Middle East policy will remain an important part of the senator-elect’s political orbit as he prepares to take office. El-Saeed’s team has yet to comment publicly on the recruitment.