AOC-backed candidate ripped for ‘bizarre response’ to transparency question: ‘Pretty basic’

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Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, says he’s waiting on outstanding paperwork needed to accurately fill out his tax disclosure forms.

El-Sayed’s statement appears to be trying to defuse allegations from his opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan, that he is trying to mask his net worth, hiding the true nature of his wealth until after the Michigan Aug. 4 Democratic primary.

“You’ve sought an extension through August 13, I believe, which is after the primary,” El-Sayed, who is endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other far-left lawmakers, was asked on Wednesday. “Was this to avoid transparency with your voters? Why not release them before the election?”

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“No,” El-Sayed replied. “Taxes get complicated.”

“My wife and her family own property abroad and getting all those tax forms is a thing,” he added.

As a part of his candidate disclosure report filed in June 2025, El-Sayed has reported a number of holdings. Among them: a salary from Wayne County worth $278,900 and an assortment of other assets bringing his net worth to somewhere between $580,000 and $1.7 million.

As a part of that disclosure, his wife reported a rental property in Bangalore, India worth between $100,001 and $250,000. The disclosure went on to say that his wife brought in between $5,001 and $15,000 in “income.” Another rental property in Ann Arbor, Michigan that was worth between $250,001 $500,000 brought in between $5,001 and $15,000.

To some viewers, El-Sayed’s responses this past week are confusing, given the existence of his 2025 filings.

“A bizarre response,” Chuck Ross, a Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter, wrote in a post to X. “He filed a Senate financial disclosure in June 2025 that listed his wife’s rental property in India.”

“When it comes to actual transparency and investment, the fact that he is saying ‘my wife has foreign assets. My wife has investments abroad.’ Look we need to know you have allegiance to the United States of America,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News. “You need to come before the people that are working to elect you and you’ve got to show them what you’re about.”

“If you have nothing to hide, then just release the tax returns. These Trump tactics are an extremely bad look,” another observer wrote.

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Hen Mazzig, a pro-Israel political commentator, also bashed El-Sayed’s response.

“Didn’t realize being unaware of the extent of your own wealth was a characteristic of the working class,” Mazzig said, referring to El-Sayed’s promises to represent everyday Michigan voters against corporate interests.

El-Sayed’s responses on Wednesday come after the Michigan primary debate on Tuesday evening, where Stevens accused El-Sayed of a lack of candor.

“Well, look, transparency is oh so important. This is why I have released my tax returns. My opponent, Abdul, he said that transparency is key, but yet he hasn’t released his tax returns,” Stevens said.

“Look, I am the only one running for United States Senate in Michigan who is not a millionaire,” Stevens said.

When asked if Stevens’ assertions were true, El-Sayed hinted that the figure was a little ambiguous.

“If you take my assets and my wife’s assets together, then I guess they add up to something like that,” El-Sayed said in his Wednesday interview.

In another sit-down with MS Now, El-Sayed pledged to release his tax documents ahead of the primary.

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U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed

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“We absolutely will. Sometimes finances are complicated. I can only control what I can control, and unfortunately, when it comes to tax documents, sometimes they are really complicated to get,” El-Sayed said.

“We are absolutely going to release it before the primary.”

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