Cruz Says on Verdict Podcast an El-Sayed Win Poses an "Unprecedented National Security Risk"

On his “Verdict” podcast, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said of Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed: “If he wins, I believe that poses an unprecedented national security risk,” Newsmax reported. Cruz told co-host Ben Ferguson on Wednesday that El-Sayed could be appointed to the Senate Intelligence or Armed Services committees, and “I believe if Abdul El-Sayed has access to that classified material, that it will endanger the lives of service men and women.”

Newsmax reported that Cruz devoted much of the podcast to challenging El-Sayed’s recent denial of family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Newsmax added: “Although these statements and alleged family associations do not establish that El-Sayed belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood or poses a national security threat.”

Cruz repeated the frame on Fox News the following week (2026-10-20–cruz-hannity-says-el-sayed-could-share-classified-information-with-muslim-brotherhood-terrorists).