MI-SEN: Secret Tape Shakes Dearborn as El‑Sayed Tiptoes Around Khamenei Killing

[RandySF]

Leaked audio released today appears to capture Michigan U.S. Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El‑Sayed telling campaign staff he wanted to stay quiet on the killing of Iran’s supreme leader because there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad. The recording, allegedly from a March 1 strategy call, has quickly turned into a political grenade in an already crowded Democratic primary. El‑Sayed’s team says the call was recorded without the campaign’s permission.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the audio captures El‑Sayed telling aides that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad, as he explains why he wanted to avoid commenting on the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. The outlet also reports that on the same recording, El‑Sayed says he would pivot to attacking President Trump’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein if pressed, telling staff, “I’m just gonna go straight to pedophilia, frankly.” The Free Beacon says the call took place one day after an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s top leader.

El‑Sayed’s campaign is pushing back on the political fallout and the way the tape has been framed, pointing to statements he published on his website in early March and a March 13 video that expanded on his message. In a March 1 press release, the campaign criticized the administration’s strikes and called for de‑escalation, and it later posted a longer video reflecting on a West Bloomfield synagogue attack. Campaign lawyers told the Washington Free Beacon the recording was obtained without permission and that they are “considering its legal options,” according to the outlet.

The leak drops into a razor‑thin Democratic primary where positions on Israel and the Iran war have already become a central dividing line. The Washington Post recently described El‑Sayed as the most left‑wing of the major Democrats in the field, and polling suggests a three‑way fight at the top. The RealClearPolitics average currently shows El‑Sayed trailing Mallory McMorrow and Haley Stevens, which means any fresh controversy could matter around the margins.




https://hoodline.com/2026/03/secret-tape-shakes-dearborn-as-el-sayed-tiptoes-around-khamenei-killing/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. "According to the Washington Free Beacon ..."

Danger, Will Robinson!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Free_Beacon


Overview
edit
The Free Beacon was founded by Michael Goldfarb, Aaron Harison, and Matthew Continetti. It launched on February 7, 2012, as a project of the Center for American Freedom, a conservative advocacy group modeled on the liberal Center for American Progress.[6] The website is financially backed by Paul Singer, an American billionaire hedge fund manager and Republican donor.[7]

The site is known for its conservative reporting, with the intention to publicize stories and influence the coverage of the mainstream media, and is modeled after liberal counterparts in the media such as Think Progress and Talking Points Memo.[6][8][9] The site has roots in the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party.

In 2019, Politico journalist Eliana Johnson assumed the editor-in-chief position from the WFB's founding editor Matthew Continetti. At the time, the outlet had 24 staffers.

[RandySF]

2. The el-Sayed campaign confirmed the call in their response.

So it happened.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Thanks. NT

[AloeVera]

4. Breaking News!! Call the Free Beacon!!

Muslims are sad about an assassination of one of the Muslim faith's spiritual leaders! And someone, a MUSLIM progressive running as a Democrat, refuses to comment!! Refuses to celebrate!!!

Just a coincidence Dr. el-Sayed is a critic of Israel and its actions in Gaza etc. It's not like AIPAC would be after him or something.

What is the world coming to, I just can't.... I must lie down on my fainting couch...

/s

[RandySF]

5. The "spiritual leader" who

executed and imprisoned thousands of political oppoenents over a period of decades and oversaw the salughter of protestprs on 2009 and 2025. Damn details.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. "Avoiding commenting" seems like a good move for a candidate in Michigan, doesn't it?

You have a position where many primary voters are "sad" that Israel killed Khamenei, and where many others will be pleased, for the reasons you gave. So, rather than alienating either of them, avoid it.

hoodline.com fails to mention what McMorrow or Stevens have said about Khamenei. And, you know what, I can't find that either.

It seems incredible that in a 3 person race, a subject on which none of them has said anything could "shake" a city or be a "political grenade" for only one of them. Unless the media reporting it has something against that one candidate.

I hope you agree.

[AloeVera]

8. Yes, that is the Western framing. It ignores the meaning of "spiritual leader" and gives no value to it.

Yes, he did those things. But that's not relevant to his role in Shia Islam. I am by no means an expert, but I try to learn from the experts on what his death means to those he led or the causes he supported and how they saw him:

"Well, they saw him as the guardian of the Islamic revolution, which for the Shia faithful and his supporters was a divine intervention in human history. So it was his obligation to protect it. And his actions against domestic dissidents or enforcing religious laws or limiting political activity in Iran was understood in terms of defending the revolution. Outside of Iran, he was seen as a leader of resistance against America, Israel and their allies, standing up for justice, for the downtrodden, for the underdog. And so they did not - his followers did not share the vision that he was disseminating terrorism and discord, but rather that he was standing up to Israel and U.S. policies in the region." - Professor Vali Nasr, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and an expert on Shia Islam.

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/02/nx-s1-5732761/what-to-know-about-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-and-the-role-he-played-in-and-outside-iran

So I think the Muslim world in general, and Shia Islam in particular, as well as Palestinians and now Lebanese in their misery and dispossession, may feel some sadness at his assassination.

What's so hard to understand about that? Why jump on a candidate and attempt to ruin his campaign because he dares DARES to give credence and value to Muslim feelings of loss? In fact, SMARTLY deciding not to comment and inflame/outrage some of his constituents? As it is, he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. The knives are out for him, sadly and clearly.

[JI7]

7. How is he more left than other candidates ?