LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday, but his message is drawing criticism over previous remarks about the attacks and the wars that followed.

“We remember and honor the lives that were taken from us in a terrible act of terrorism,” El-Sayed wrote on X. “Nothing can justify the murder of innocent civilians. Nothing.”

Critics, however, have revived comments El-Sayed made five years ago on his podcast, “America Dissected.”

“9/11 scarred our country in profound ways, but what we did after 9/11 scarred millions of other people,” El-Sayed said. “When we talk about 9/11, we often fail to center them.”

El-Sayed also said the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks “wasted trillions of dollars to wage a war that we would ultimately lose.” He described the period that followed as an “era of death, destruction and destitution.”

El-Sayed has also faced questions about his association with progressive streamer Hasan Piker. After the Democratic primary, El-Sayed distanced himself from Piker’s controversial comments about American Jews but stopped short of disavowing him.

During an Aug. 21, 2019, Twitch livestream, Piker said, “America deserved 9/11, dude. We totally brought it on ourselves.” He later said his wording was inappropriate.

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers criticized El-Sayed’s remarks.

“It is disqualifying for a U.S. Senate candidate to believe that Americans should ‘center’ their grief from 9/11,” Rogers said.

Rogers also posted a 9/11 tribute on X after previously telling El-Sayed: “You’ve got some nerve. You campaign with people who say America deserved 9/11—then lie about me to try to save yourself.”

“Disavow Hasan Piker before you come at me about ‘shame,’” Rogers added.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.