Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, is calling on Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison to make clear whether they agree with fellow Democrats who have condemned Hasan Piker’s rhetoric ahead of his scheduled Minneapolis appearance with Rep. Ilhan Omar and state Sen. Omar Fateh.
“At this pivotal moment, Minnesotans needs to know whether Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison agree with their colleagues that Piker’s demagoguery and hateful rhetoric have no place in Minnesota,” Hunegs wrote in a Minnesota Star Tribune commentary.
Flanagan, a candidate for U.S. Senate, told local media she will not participate in Piker’s event and broadly condemned “hateful rhetoric,” while Ellison’s office said the attorney general has longstanding plans to attend a separate event Monday. Neither response directly condemned Piker. Ellison once appeared on Piker’s stream and praised him for doing a “good job.”
Piker is scheduled to appear with Omar and Fateh Monday night in Minneapolis, a gathering that has increasingly divided Minnesota Democrats and drawn criticism from leaders across the state.
“Omar and Fateh must withdraw Piker’s invitation,” Hunegs wrote, thanking the Democrats who have spoken out against the event while calling on other DFL leaders and candidates to condemn Piker’s rhetoric and oppose his appearance.
The left-wing streamer has faced backlash for several past remarks, including saying in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11,” and saying during an April 2026 appearance on Pod Save America that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time.”
Piker later said he regretted the 9/11 remark and has argued that some of his controversial statements have been taken out of context.
The controversy has exposed a widening divide among Minnesota Democrats over the direction of their party.
DFL Chair Richard Carlbom told KARE 11 that the event is “not sanctioned or sponsored by the DFL party” and condemned comments from Piker that “divide us.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also criticized the event, saying in a statement to the outlet that Democrats should hold themselves “to the same standards” they apply to Republicans.
Only six members of the Minnesota Senate DFL signed a statement condemning the event and calling for its cancellation. Four of the six senators who signed are retiring.
Notably, swing-district Democrats running for reelection, such as Judy Seeberger, Aric Putnam, Grant Hauschild and Rob Kupec, did not sign the statement.
Putnam and Seeberger previously endorsed Fateh’s Minneapolis mayoral campaign.
Fateh, meanwhile, has pushed back on criticism surrounding the event.
In a post on X, Fateh accused Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Rochelle Olson of Islamophobia after she criticized his decision to host Piker.
“The ol’ islamophoic [sic] trope of Muslims and hostages,” Fateh wrote, asking Olson where her “outrage” was when the Democratic National Convention used Piker to engage younger voters in 2024.
Jeremiah Ellison, the son of Attorney General Ellison, also defended the event on X.
“This Piker event had the potential to be a complete non-issue,” Ellison wrote. “Don’t like Hasan? Cool! Don’t attend!”
Ellison added that “helping Republicans blow up this nothing-burger feels immature from a party as experienced as the DFL.”
Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor, also entered the dispute and criticized Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s response.
“Democrat leaders invited a vile anti-American left-wing radical to Minnesota on Monday, a week before the election,” Demuth said in a press release. “Hasan Piker is the Democrats’ closing message to voters.”
Klobuchar, Demuth’s opponent in the gubernatorial race, previously said through a spokesperson that she considers a number of Piker’s statements “reckless and unacceptable.”
“That type of weak non-statement by Amy Klobuchar shows cowardice, not leadership,” Demuth said.
Demuth cited a Minnesota Star Tribune poll showing that about one-third of Minnesota Democrats identify as socialists as she argued the controversy reflects a broader shift within the party.
“This is not the party of Humphrey or Wellstone. This is the party of Ilhan Omar, Omar Fateh and Hasan Piker,” Demuth said.
“Tim Walz couldn’t stand up to the far left-wing contingent of the DFL. This weak statement by Sen. Klobuchar shows she won’t either,” she added.
Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation has also condemned Piker’s scheduled appearance.
Reps. Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber issued a joint statement calling on elected Democrats in Minnesota to reject Piker’s rhetoric.
“Antisemitism, hatred, and the glorification of terrorism and political violence have no place in Minnesota or anywhere in the United States,” the lawmakers said.
As Alpha News previously reported, the Jewish Community Relations Council said in a statement that it was “appalled” by the planned event and criticized Democrats who had remained silent.
“The silence from too many other state DFL leaders is deafening,” the organization said. “Jewish Minnesotans hear that silence, and it further erodes their trust.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
