Sen. Ted Cruz is warning that the election of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed could create an extraordinary national security threat, alleging that the candidate’s family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood raise serious questions about whether he should be entrusted with classified American intelligence.

The Texas Republican delivered the warning Wednesday during an episode of his “Verdict” podcast, where he argued that El-Sayed’s election could potentially give him access to highly sensitive information concerning American military operations, intelligence activities, and national security planning.

“If he wins, I believe that poses an unprecedented national security risk,” Cruz told podcast co-host Ben Ferguson.

Cruz said his concerns stem in part from the possibility that El-Sayed could eventually serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee or Armed Services Committee, both of which receive sensitive briefings and oversee matters involving the military and intelligence community.

“I believe if Abdul El-Sayed has access to that classified material, that it will endanger the lives of service men and women,” Cruz said.

The senator emphasized that members of Congress do not undergo the same executive-branch security clearance procedures required of many government employees before obtaining access to classified information. Congressional access to such material is nevertheless governed by separate institutional rules and restrictions.

Much of Cruz’s criticism centered on El-Sayed’s recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” during which moderator Kristen Welker questioned him about possible connections between himself, his family, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sayed answered the question with a categorical “No.”

Cruz challenged that response by pointing to statements published years earlier by El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, on social media.

In a 2012 post, Abdelhadi wrote, “My family has long been MB,” using an abbreviation commonly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In the same message, she said she “always felt” that the organization “has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively.”

Cruz also referenced a separate social media post from 2013 in which Abdelhadi expressed concern about relatives in Egypt who supported the Muslim Brotherhood.

The posts, Cruz argued, contradicted El-Sayed’s public denial of family connections to the organization.

However, the statements attributed to his half-sister do not, by themselves, establish that El-Sayed is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, has participated in its activities, or has engaged in conduct that would compromise American national security.

Cruz also cited an opinion article El-Sayed published in the Huffington Post in 2011, during the political upheaval that eventually brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt.

In the commentary, El-Sayed argued that a government led by the organization would look “nothing like Iran.”

Cruz portrayed the article as evidence that El-Sayed had long held a sympathetic view of the Islamist movement, which subsequently governed Egypt under President Mohamed Morsi before being removed from power by the Egyptian military in 2013.

The senator also raised questions about financial support for El-Sayed’s Senate campaign, citing a reported $300,000 contribution from the candidate’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, to a super PAC supporting his election.

Cruz highlighted Jukaku’s association with the Islamic Society of North America, an organization that federal prosecutors identified as an unindicted co-conspirator during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing prosecution.

That designation did not constitute a criminal conviction, and the association does not establish wrongdoing by Jukaku or El-Sayed. Cruz nevertheless argued that the combination of family connections, political positions, and financial relationships warranted greater scrutiny.

El-Sayed’s positions concerning Israel have also become a major source of controversy in the closely contested Michigan race.

The Democratic candidate has accused Israel of committing genocide during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza and has advocated ending American military assistance to the Jewish state.

He also drew criticism after declining to directly affirm Israel’s right to exist during a CNN interview.

“Israel exists,” El-Sayed responded when questioned on the issue, dismissing the formulation as a political “gotcha game.”

El-Sayed has maintained that opposition to Israeli government policies should not automatically be treated as hostility toward Jews.

“To be anti-Israel is not the same as to be anti-Jewish,” he declared.

The controversy has intensified as El-Sayed competes against Republican Mike Rogers in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate contests, a race that could help determine which party controls the chamber following the November elections.

Recent polling has shown El-Sayed holding a narrow advantage over Rogers, although the contest remains competitive. A Washington Post-Schar School survey released in September placed El-Sayed at 48 percent and Rogers at 45 percent among likely voters, a difference within the poll’s margin of error.

The race has also attracted significant outside spending. A political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has recently begun financing campaign materials opposing El-Sayed, reflecting concern among pro-Israel activists about the possibility of his election.

Republicans have increasingly focused attention on El-Sayed’s background and views, while the Democratic candidate has accused his opponents of using allegations about his religion and family to divert attention from economic and healthcare issues.

His campaign previously characterized allegations connecting him and his relatives to the Muslim Brotherhood as “racist” and “untrue.”

Cruz, however, insisted that the controversy should be viewed as a matter of national security rather than an ordinary political disagreement.

“This is a profound danger,” Cruz said.

The senator urged Michigan voters to reject El-Sayed, warning that the consequences of the election could extend well beyond the state’s representation in Washington.