The attendee who pressed Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to disavow the Muslim Brotherhood at a tense town hall this weekend was exposed as a former GOP staffer with “Christian nationalist ties,” journalist Marisa Kabas reported.
As first reported by Kabas on her Substack The Handbasket, Tommy was actually Thomas Teepell, who previously served as operations director for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) until February of this year.
Teepell’s father is Timmy Teepell, a GOP strategist who worked for former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal through his climb from congressman to governor. Jindal is the founder of America Next, a conservative PAC that, according to The Michigan Daily, offered Republican college students $200 to travel to an El-Sayed event to “heckle” the Democratic candidate and ask provocative questions.
This so much… I would have easily believed that they paid this creep to show up and blow the dog-whistle.
The response was so perfect that it feels like a campaign stunt.
Now it’s blowing up everywhere and people get to see both how incredibly poised Dr. El-Sayed was as he explained his position (especially with the stark comparison to how the GOP typically handles people who ask them unfavorable questions at events) AND that it’s really the GOP pulling pathetic stunts like this with paid actors.
This guy and candidates like him give me a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe we can find some real leadership out there and start getting this disaster of the past decade turned around. Small hope mind you, but it’s definitely there.
I agree the response is so good that it feels scripted, but the truth is probably that he has it kind of scripted in his head. He’s probably dealt with similar questions or attacks many many times so by now it’s not surprising that he has this type of immaculate answer to it ready to deliver.