Conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital are raising concerns about what could happen if Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed wins his election and, by virtue of holding office, becomes eligible to receive certain classified information.Unlike congressional staffers and many executive-branch officials, senators are not required to obtain a formal executive-branch security clearance to be eligible for classified information related to their official duties.If El-Sayed wins in November, he would not have to go through the same formal security-clearance process as many other government officials because members of Congress are generally considered eligible for access to classified information by virtue of holding elected office.Those issues have raised concerns among some national security and policy experts.COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT WARNS ABDUL EL-SAYED SENATE BID RAISES HOMELAND SECURITY CONCERNSMichigan Democratic candidate for U.S.
Senate Abdul El-Sayed pushed back on questions about his ties with controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.(Emily Elconin/Getty Images)"Anyone refusing to disavow America-hater Hasan Piker should never be elected to Congress.
El-Sayed will use his perch in the Senate to undermine America and empower its enemies," Daniel Samet, a research fellow specializing in Middle East policy at the center-right American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital.Samet argued that El-Sayed has associated with people who support the intifada and terrorist causes and that he has shown sympathy for radical Islamist ideology.Fox News Digital and other outlets have reported on El-Sayed’s appearances and political relationships with individuals who have expressed support for or made favorable statements about U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.In April, for instance, El-Sayed was introduced at a campaign rally by Amir Makled, a man who previously celebrated dead members of the terrorist organization Hezbollah as "martyr[s]." A fe...