Father of 9/11 hero Todd Beamer appears in Michigan Senate race ad to condemn Hasan Piker rhetoric
David Beamer, father of Flight 93 passenger and 9/11 hero Todd Beamer, criticized streamer Hasan Piker and his ties to Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in a campaign video released Monday for El-Sayed's Republican opponent Mike Rogers.
The video, posted by Great Lakes HQ, was produced by the Great Lakes Conservative Fund, a super PAC supporting Rogers. It began with a 2019 clip of Piker saying that America "deserved 9/11" followed by clips of El-Sayed appearing on Piker's Twitch livestream and another of El-Sayed refusing to disavow Piker when prompted.
Beamer, who narrates the ad, then introduced his son Todd Beamer, one of the heroes of United Flight 93 who fought back against the terrorists who hijacked the plane in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
"Those 43 people on Flight 93 were not victims. They were killed in action. When I hear anyone suggest America 'deserves 9/11' my question is, ‘Who would say that?’" Beamer says in the ad.
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El-Sayed has repeatedly rejected Piker's 9/11 remark but has resisted calls to completely renounce the streamer, who campaigned with him during the Democratic primary.
Elizabeth Pipko, a former Republican National Committee spokesperson, lamented that families mourning loved ones lost on 9/11 still have to be politically involved to protect their loved ones' legacies.
"How incredibly disappointing that, 25 years after those horrific attacks, Todd Beamer’s family is still unable to simply mourn their son and speak about his heroism. Instead, they find themselves having to teach their fellow Americans a lesson they themselves wish they never had to learn," she told Fox News Digital.
"Todd Beamer’s family knows better than most the pain that anti-American sentiment and terrorism can inflict on us all. Todd’s character, and the American spirit of grit and guts he embodied, is what we should not only remember, but also look for in the leaders we elect to serve our great country," she added further. "In honor of Todd Beamer and all the brave Americans taken from us too soon, we have a job to do — in November and beyond."
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Theo Wold, a former assistant attorney general and former White House deputy assistant for domestic policy under Trump, told Fox News Digital that Piker will continue to haunt El-Sayed's campaign as long as the candidate "refuses to denounce" Piker entirely.
"Antifa Democrats and their friends in the media say a lot of dangerous and incendiary things. Hasan Piker, who endorses political violence and has denigrated the Americans killed on September 11th, has repeatedly campaigned alongside his friend El Sayed," Wold said. "El Sayed refuses to denounce Piker not just because they’re friends but Leftists like them don’t believe there are any boundaries when they are pursuing their ideological goals."
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Fox News Digital also reached out to a group representing Gold Star Families, El-Sayed’s campaign, and Mike Rogers’ campaign but did not immediately receive a response.