# Raskin calls Piker’s rhetoric ‘irrelevant distraction’ after the streamer said he’d vote for Hamas over Israel

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/raskin-calls-pikers-rhetoric-irrelevant-distraction-after-the-streamer-said-hed-vote-for-hamas-over-israel/
- Published: 2026-09-06T18:45:25+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-06T19:33:05+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/raskin-calls-pikers-rhetoric-irrelevant-distraction-streamer-said-hed-vote-hamas-over-israel
- Topics: Elections, Government, Middle East, Politics, World

## Key points

- Raskin dismisses scrutiny of streamer Hasan Piker's Hamas remarks as a "distraction"
- Piker said he'd vote Hamas over Israel "every single time"
- Democrats split over ties to Piker ahead of Michigan Senate race

## Summary

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin brushed aside questions about streamer Hasan Piker's comments on Hamas and Israel, calling scrutiny of the influencer an "irrelevant distraction" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press". The exchange came as host Kristen Welker pressed him on divisions within the Democratic Party over Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's association with Piker, highlighting ongoing tension between progressive and moderate wings of the party ahead of the midterms.

Welker played a clip in which Piker said he would vote for Hamas over Israel "every single time", prompting Raskin to insist nobody supports Hamas while distancing himself from the streamer, whom he noted had previously criticised him for campaigning alongside other Michigan Democrats. Piker, who has millions of listeners and campaigned for El-Sayed, has also drawn criticism for remarks suggesting American Jews could face "action" if seen as "singularly invested" in Israel; El-Sayed has said Piker does not speak for his campaign but has resisted fully disavowing him, while fellow Democrats including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal have offered differing views on how the party should handle his influence.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.