'Pod Save America' accused of temporarily deleting clip critical of Piker after ex-Biden staffer amplified it
Crooked Media’s "Pod Save America" was accused by a former Biden staffer of deleting a social media clip that was critical of far-left streamer Hasan Piker, and the liberal podcast reposted a longer version after hours of backlash.
"Pod Save America," the popular progressive podcast helmed by ex-Obama staffers, welcomed MS NOW's Chris Hayes for Sunday’s episode to discuss the state of Democratic politics with guest host Alex Wagner. Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s ties to Piker came up, and the liberal pundits pleased moderates by speaking critically about the controversial streamer.
El-Sayed has taken heat for campaigning with Piker, who has blamed America for the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and praised dictators ranging from Mao Zedong to Fidel Castro. Now Democrats are trying to figure out if Piker can help them in general elections while grappling with his incendiary rhetoric, which has also included dismissing Hamas rapes on Oct. 7 as essentially irrelevant.
"I don’t think it makes a ton of sense in a general election, frankly, to campaign with Hasan Piker. I think you also can’t control what a 35-year-old streamer is going to say," Hayes said.
"I also think he is learning the lesson that, with great power comes great responsibility," Hayes continued. "This is a dude that streams like seven days a week for years, do you know the amount of words he said? Like, you’re going to say some stuff."
Hayes then suggested that Piker needs to make a minor change going forward.
"If Hasan Piker wants to contribute to the success of the movement, he’s probably going to have to watch what he says a lot more," Hayes said.
The "Pod Save America" episode remains live on other platforms, but former special assistant to President Biden Michael LaRosa noticed the clip was oddly deleted from X.
Others also noted the deletion, including gun control activist Shannon Watts.
LaRosa, who served as press secretary to former first lady Jill Biden, recently made an unusually sharp break with his party in a post responding to reports that he was supporting Republican Mike Rogers over El-Sayed. At the center of LaRosa’s criticism is El-Sayed’s association with Piker, who drew widespread condemnation after saying during a 2019 livestream that "America deserved 9/11."
LaRosa, who quoted the clip to celebrate Democrats debating what to do with Piker, noticed it was removed and called out the podcast.
"WOW. This is remarkable. @PodSave America appears to have deleted the clip they themselves posted of @Chrislhayes and @alexwagner telling the truth about why Hasan Piker is a major liability and problem for El-Sayed," LaRosa wrote, adding, "Apparently, their candor was refreshing right up until moderates like me started amplifying and celebrating it."
Crooked Media did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Hours later, following backlash online, a new post appeared with a longer version of the clip.
Larosa accused Crooked Media of deleting the clip before 9 a.m. ET on Monday but the longer version wasn’t posted until after 3 p.m. ET. Shannon Watts, who had criticized the clip removal, said the podcast "wanted to make the clip longer and add more context."
"Which means somebody from Piker's camp or El-Sayed's camp probably wined and cried and forced them to take down and recreate the content. Truly hysterical. But how embarrassing for ‘Pod Save America," LaRosa responded to Watts’ post.
Julian Epstein, who served as the chief legal counsel for House Democrats during the Clinton impeachment hearing and worked for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, recently said he would support the Republican candidate against El-Sayed after he campaigned with Piker.
"I don’t understand why people keep talking about Hasan Piker in the media because I think the guy is a lunatic," Epstein told Fox News Digital.
"I don’t think he’s ever said anything, to me, that’s particularly interesting. He’s a shock jock, but he’s never demonstrated any understanding of economic or history in my mind," Epstein continued. "What he understands is influencer culture and how to say shocking things."
"Pod Save America" famously irked Biden allies when the podcast co-hosts were among the first prominent Democrats to call for then-President Joe Biden to step aside during the 2024 presidential election.
The show, which consists of ex-Obama White House staffers, had previously pushed the "cheap fakes" narrative that Biden's mental health decline was being promoted by misleading video clips.
Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.