Republican Senator condemns Democrats for skipping hearing on alleged Muslim Brotherhood network

At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing focused on an alleged Muslim Brotherhood network operating in the United States, all five Democratic members of the panel were absent, a move that Republican Sen. Ted Cruz denounced as an embarrassment for the minority party. Cruz argued the timing coincided with Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory in Michigan and insinuated that Democratic support for the candidate signaled a broader acceptance of extremist groups.

The Democrats—Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, Alex Padilla and Peter Welch—released a joint statement accusing Cruz of staging a "political creepshow" that scapegoats Muslim Americans, especially after recent attacks on places of worship. Blumenthal told reporters the hearing risked becoming an anti-Muslim, Islamophobic trial, while also planning to meet with Muslim community leaders concerned about the Brotherhood.

Offices for Whitehouse and Welch referenced the joint statement when asked why they declined to attend, and the offices of Hirono and Padilla had not responded. Witness Lara Burns, a retired FBI special-agent, warned that the network’s history is well-documented and should not be dismissed because the evidence is politically uncomfortable.