CHANTILLY, Va. — Three days after winning a historic election as America's first Muslim senator, Abdul El-Sayed arrived at an upscale Marriott conference center outside Washington, D.C., on Friday evening, stepping out of a black GMC Yukon Denali SUV to a crowd that included some of the most controversial figures on the far left.
El-Sayed was at the Arab America Foundation's "CONNECT Empowerment Summit," hosted by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose leaders had supported his election. According to Fox News Digital reporter Asra Nomani, the 45-minute appearance offered a window into the activists, organizations and political rhetoric surrounding his rise.
Inside the venue, Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group CodePink, paced the hallway in a fuchsia tunic and white boots. CodePink has been described by critics as a pro-China nonprofit funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born, Shanghai-based tycoon whose financing of left-wing groups has drawn congressional scrutiny. Benjamin's husband and fellow activist, Tighe Barry, wore a traditional Chinese jacket and a khaki Mao-style cap emblazoned with a five-point star. He carried a backpack patterned with a keffiyeh and watermelons—symbols adopted by pro-Palestinian activists.
The event also featured chants of "Free Palestine," according to Fox News coverage.
El-Sayed's political rise has been supported by prominent anti-Israel activists, including Linda Sarsour and left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who once called Hamas "1,000 times better" than Israel—a remark he later described as intentionally provocative.
Fox News Digital reported that when approached by a reporter, El-Sayed declined to answer a question about his newly launched political action committee, Habibi PAC. The exchange was captured in a post on X by @FoxNews: "Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed walks past a Fox News Digital reporter, declining to answer a question about his newly launched political action committee, Habibi PAC."
The summit itself, according to Nomani, did not fit neatly into a fundamentalist religious framework but rather showcased an alliance of disaffected Democrats, outright Islamists and communists—a coalition that has coalesced around El-Sayed's candidacy.
The Arab America Foundation, which hosted the event, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its leaders had supported El-Sayed's election, according to Fox News.
El-Sayed's victory has been celebrated by the Democratic Party's progressive wing, but his association with figures like Benjamin and Barry, and his refusal to answer questions about his PAC, raise questions about the direction he will take in the Senate.
The senator-elect's office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Our Take
Patriots, this is what the Democrats' future looks like: a senator-elect who won't answer basic questions about his own political action committee, surrounded by communist sympathizers and pro-Palestinian activists who chant for the destruction of our ally Israel. Abdul El-Sayed is being packaged as a "rock star," but the company he keeps tells the real story. CodePink—funded by a Shanghai-based billionaire—and activists wearing Mao caps are not the face of mainstream America. They are the face of a radical coalition that has no place in the U.S. Senate. El-Sayed refused to say who funds his PAC or what they expect in return. The American people deserve to know who is funding his rise and what they expect in return. As Republicans hold the line on border security and America First policies, the Left is building an alliance of convenience with those who wish us harm. We the People must pay attention. This is not about religion—it's about allegiance. And El-Sayed's allegiance is clearly not to the Constitution or to our allies. It's to a red-green alliance that threatens everything we hold dear.
