On Wednesday’s Inside Politics, the CNN midday program went off the rails after panelist and Republican strategist Jason Thielman made a reference to Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy joking that Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed “sleeps in Bin Laden’s jersey.” Host Dana Bash and Democrat strategist Guy Cecil took issue with the comments, with Cecil telling Thielman, “You'll want to apologize for what you just said later.”
In what started out as a mostly friendly discussion on midterm chances, Bagh turned to the Michigan Senate race and El-Sayed and asked Cecil, the Democrat, about the candidate’s strategy, especially amid the recent Muslim Brotherhood controversy.
Cecil responded, “I think part of it is he's been asked this question or these types of questions over and over and over again,” and said, while he may disagree with some of what El-Sayed says, “the reality is that this is what got him here, right?”
CNN's ‘Inside Politics’ panel on Wednesday blew up when former NRSC director Jason Theilman echoed Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy, saying that when El-Sayed “goes to bed at night, it looks like he’s sleeping in Bin Laden’s jersey,” which was followed by brief outrage from… pic.twitter.com/8aBzl2cfUr
— Nick (@nspin310) October 21, 2026
Thielman later took the discussion in a new direction, with reference ot Sen. Kennedy’s comments on El-Sayed:
I mean, they ought to take him and put him in a bunker somewhere because every time he opens his mouth, he continues to perpetuate a problem. And I think Senator Kennedy said it best. When he goes to bed at night, it looks like he's sleeping in Bin Laden's jersey.
Bash and Cecil were both taken aback by the comments and disrupted more fo Thielman's thoughts, which Cecil then took much issue with:
“And I mean, it's one thing to criticize a policy. Talking about a guy being in Osama Bin Laden's jersey is pretty disgusting. And I think this is why he answers the questions the way he does. And it's this type of overreach.”
Thielman interjected, “What’s disgusting here is the apologizing for anti-semites,” before Cecil complained more about “this type of overreach,” referring to the Bin Laden comment.
After talking over each other, Cecil admonished Theilman and said, “Overtalking me doesn't make you right. And you'll want to apologize for what you just said later. The reality is, you can criticize his positions on Israel without saying he sleeps in Osama Bin Laden's jersey.”
“It is OK to criticize candidates. It is not OK to do what he's doing, what Vivek is doing, which is taking this campaign to a different level because they are so desperate to overcome what is a fundamentally flawed election cycle for Democrats – or for Republicans, and a fundamentally flawed president,” Cecil added.
Thielman responded back: “You're expanding your reach, but you're not expanding your grasp." He then added, “And the fact that we are talking about Michigan in the midterms of the party in power is really actually Exhibit A in the fact that your party has completely failed to recruit the quality of candidates.”
After Cecil, seemingly still upset, pushed Thielman about Mike Rogers ' loss in the 2024 Senate election in Michigan, Bash came in to end the panel that got fiery, and thanked Cecil for his reprimand of Theilman:
We're not going to solve this here. That took a turn. I'm not going to, you know, I did not expect that to turn into a debate. And, you know, that was --
[To Cecil] I think it was important what you said, and I appreciate you both being here. Thank you. Thank you both.
Bash and Cecil were taken aback, but no mention was made that El-Sayed could have avoided the harsh references if he had not campaigned with terrorist-sympathizer Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who said “America deserved 9/11” and has shown terrorist propaganda videos on stream. He could also have simply completely disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood when given the chance, or said Iran was worse than Israel.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
CNN’s Inside Politics
October 21, 2026
12:43:14 PM Eastern
(...)
DANA BASH: But before we end, I do want to talk about Michigan. There's a debate tonight, and it is blue territory that your party is defending.
And I'm just curious what you think of Abdul el-Sayed's strategy. We all saw that viral moment over the weekend when Tommy asked him if he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. And we've seen the way that el- Sayed responded to that, which was with a very lengthy explanation of why he thinks that that's a question of dual loyalties.
It wasn't just at that moment. He's saying it multiple times. He could take the tack of, of course, I disavow, what's the next question on gas prices? But he's not doing that. Is that the right move?
GUY CECIL: Well, I think part of it is he's been asked this question or these types of questions over and over and over again. And I may have some differences with the candidate, but the reality is that this is what got him here. Right?
Republicans have been running tens of millions of dollars of ads against him since before the primary. And yet, he's still in a race where he leads Mike Rogers, you know, by three, four or five points. And so --
BASH: But if you were advising, would you say, just keep doing what you're doing or?
CECIL: Yeah. If I was advising him, I would -- I would say, look, ground yourself in Michigan, talk about your Michigan experience, ground yourself in your family history there, and then take the fight to Rogers.
BASH: And I just want to show that I actually do -- I actually do know where Michigan is. I know I circled the wrong one.
CECIL: It's OK.
BASH: That is Minnesota. That is Michigan. Real quick.
JASON THIELMAN: It's like, let's, you know, not what he's doing. I mean, they ought to take him and put him in a bunker somewhere because every time he opens his mouth, he continues to perpetuate a problem. And I think Senator Kennedy said it best. When he goes to bed at night, it looks like he's sleeping in Bin Laden's jersey.
BASH: Oh
THIELMAN: I mean, he is just --
CECIL: I mean, let me just say, this is - you want to know why he answers the question? Because you have - And I mean, it's one thing to criticize a policy. Talking about a guy being in Osama Bin Laden's jersey is pretty disgusting. And I think this is why he answers the questions the way he does. And it's this type of overreach.
THIELMAN: What’s disgusting here is the apologizing for anti-semites.
(CROSSTALK)
CECIL: This type of overreach -- this type of overreach --
THIELMAN: That’s what’s disgusting –
(CROSSTALK)
CECIL: You can criticize – Overtalking me doesn't make you right. And you'll want to apologize for what you just said later. The reality is, you can criticize his positions on Israel without saying he sleeps in Osama Bin Laden's jersey.
It is OK to criticize candidates. It is not OK to do what he's doing, what Vivek is doing, which is taking this campaign to a different level because they are so desperate to overcome what is a fundamentally flawed election cycle for Democrats – or for Republicans, and a fundamentally flawed president.
And that's why these races are on the ballot. That's why we're talking about Kansas, and not Georgia, and not North Carolina.
THIELMAN: You're expanding your reach, but you're not expanding your grasp.
CECIL: We'll see. Time will tell.
(CROSSTALK)
THIELMAN: And the fact that we are talking about Michigan in the midterms of the party in power is really actually Exhibit A in the fact that your party has completely failed to recruit the quality of candidates. You recognized this on the front end, when you did everything -- the party did everything in its power to avoid him to be the nominee and failed miserably.
CECIL: How did Mike Rogers do in his last election?
THIELMAN: Now you're paying the price.
CECIL: How did your recruit did in his last election?
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Okay.
THIELMAN: He came with an 18,000 votes –
BASH: We're not going to solve this here. That took a turn. I'm not going to, you know, I did not expect that to turn into a debate. And, you know, that was --
[To Cecil] I think it was important what you said, and I appreciate you both being here. Thank you. Thank you both.
(...)
