Politics
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers claimed he saw Osama bin Laden's body 'with my own eyes'
The Republican candidate was in Washington, D.C., during the 2011 raid and actually viewed a photograph of the body.
The short version
- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers of Michigan claimed in a campaign fundraising email that he saw the dead body of Osama bin Laden "with my own eyes."
- Rogers was not present in Pakistan for the 2011 raid or in the White House Situation Room; instead, he was at home in Washington, D.C., and later viewed a photograph of the deceased al-Qaeda leader.
- His campaign did not respond to requests for clarification regarding the phrasing in the fundraising email.
Key facts
- In a fundraising email, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers stated, "I saw the dead body of Osama bin Laden with my own eyes, knowing that together, we had delivered justice for America."[The Guardian]
- During the May 2011 military raid that killed bin Laden, Rogers was at his home in Washington, D.C., serving as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee.[The Guardian]
- Rogers was later shown a photograph of bin Laden's dead body and subsequently supported President Barack Obama's decision not to release the graphic images publicly.[The Guardian]
- Rogers' campaign has also falsely accused his Democratic Senate opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, of believing "America deserved 9/11."[The Guardian]
- The comment about the 9/11 attacks was actually made by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, a supporter of El-Sayed, who later apologized for the remark, while El-Sayed himself has consistently denounced the attacks.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- It is unclear what specific phrasing or context Rogers intended to convey in the fundraising email, as his campaign did not respond to requests for comment.[The Guardian]