Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abul El-Sayed's town hall event in Caro, Michigan, on Saturday (October 7 ) was interrupted by an individual who identified himself as only "Tommy."
The interaction was shared by Abdul El-Sayed on social media, and it subsequently went viral. In the video, “Tommy” asks a series of controversial questions to El-Sayed, many of which have been a key part of the Republican campaign against him. “Will you disavow the Muslim Brotherhood?” he asked.
El-Sayed responded from the stage, questioning him about the intentions behind the questions. “Why are you asking the question?” he said. “What are you implying?”
Subsequently, El-Sayed posted the video of the interaction on social media, writing in the caption: "This is Tommy. Tommy had a question about my allegiances. Listen to the end to hear about his."
Here's the video:
{{/usCountry}}Here's the video:
{{/usCountry}}Naturally, the viral video sparked interest in the identity of "Tommy," who called himself a "devout Christian." And nearly 24 hours after the incident, details are emerging on "Tommy" and his alleged links to the Republican Party.
Thomas Teepell, aka Tommy, worked for Sen. Josh Hawley: Report
Political strategist and independent journalist Marisa Kabas alleged in her The Handbasket newsletter that the real name of Tommy is Thomas Teepell, and he is a long-time GOP associate. According to Kabas, Teepell, a Detroit resident, is the son of Timmy Tippel, a GOP strategist. Timmy Tippell worked for Louisiana former congressman and governor, Bobby Jindal, between 2004 and 2011.
The report claims that Teepell himself is a GOP strategist following in the footsteps of his father. He served as the Director of Operations for Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri till February this year. After that, he worked on the gubernatorial campaign of Kansas Republican Philip Sarnecki.
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Thomas Teepell's links to Sen. Josh Hawley likely comes from his father. The report by Kabas claims that Timmy Teepell joined the political consulting firm OnMassage in 2011 and helped get Josh Hawley elected Attorney General of Missouri in 2016. In 2018, he worked in Hawley's first successful Senate campaign.
Kabas then suggests in the newsletter that the confrontation at the town hall could have been provoked by a conservative political action committee (PAC), America First Policy Institute (AFPI). It cites a news article from the Michigan Daily, the newspaper of University of Michigan, which stated that the PAC reportedly offered College Republicans $200 to boo Abdul El-Sayed at the townhall in Flint. Bobby Jindal serves as the Chair of the Center for a Healthy America at AFPI.
It is unclear, however, if a similar message was sent out for the Caro event.