Leaked audio reveals Michigan Dem urged silence on Khamenei’s death — to avoid upsetting ‘sad’ voters
WASHINGTON — Newly leaked audio reveals Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed discussing with his campaign team how he would navigate questions about the recent death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the recording, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon from a March 1 strategy session, El-Sayed expressed concern that many voters were emotionally affected by the news and signaled he would instead focus on criticizing President Trump.
“There are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad,” El-Sayed told staffers. “So I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all. I’ll go straight to pedophilia,” referring to Trump, and framing his message around the president’s foreign policy decisions. “Pedophile president decides he doesn’t like the front page news, so he takes us into another war,” he added.
Khamenei, who had been one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, was killed by Israeli strikes the day before, a fact later confirmed by Iran. As the country’s supreme leader, Khamenei also held significant religious authority as an ayatollah under Shia Islam. Despite lacking traditional religious qualifications, he became Iran’s top religious and political leader in 1989.
Dearborn, Michigan, is home to the highest concentration of Arab-American and Muslim residents in the United States, with a predominantly Shiite population. Although historically a Democratic stronghold, the city saw a Trump plurality in 2024, fueled in part by dissatisfaction with former Vice President Kamala Harris over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
El-Sayed emphasized to his team that maintaining a neutral stance on Khamenei’s death was strategically important. “I just don’t think it’s worth even touching that,” he said. He argued that reporters would try to provoke comments justifying the strike, insisting his campaign should maintain “the moral high ground.”
The candidate also suggested pivoting from questions about Iran to criticize the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “Who benefits from the war? Israel, which has captured too many of our politicians through AIPAC contributions,” he told staffers, prompting some concern from his team.
El-Sayed, a practicing Muslim and physician, is widely considered the most progressive of the Democratic contenders vying for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). Michigan Republicans have rallied around former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who has President Trump’s endorsement.
El-Sayed faces off in the Democratic primary against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) and Rep. Haley Stevens (D), who is generally seen as the more moderate candidate. RealClearPolitics polling shows McMorrow slightly ahead of Stevens, with El-Sayed in third place ahead of the August 4 primary.
Both McMorrow and Stevens have criticized the conflict in Iran, though Stevens noted Tehran’s “state sponsorship of terror across the globe has led to chaos and unchecked violence.”
In response to the leak, El-Sayed’s campaign issued a statement calling the recording an “illegal and unethical” disclosure by a former employee and labeling it a distraction from pressing issues. He said the ongoing conflict has already cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members and contributed to rising gas prices, which he blamed on Trump’s policies.
Campaign attorneys confirmed they are reviewing legal options against the individual responsible for the recording, urging media outlets to consider these circumstances before reporting.
Following Khamenei’s death, Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed his son, Mojtaba, as the new supreme leader. Mojtaba was reportedly injured in the strike that killed his father and has not appeared publicly since. President Trump told The Post on Monday that Mojtaba is believed to be “in extraordinarily bad shape.”
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