U.S.TOP STORY
Man who heckled El-Sayed is ex-Hawley aide, records show
Thomas Teepell was identified by journalist Marisa Kabas, and CBS legal correspondent Jan Crawford deleted a post praising the questioner; the clip drew over twelve million views.
On air: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on BBN NewsroomPublished
Photo: Office of Senator Josh Hawley · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 11:51 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Guardian's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Guardian: “Man who heckled Abdul El-Sayed is former Josh Hawley aide, records show”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 11:51 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock.
- Topics: El-Sayed.
The real story
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What BBN said about it
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorA man who heckled Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Saturday is a former operations director for Senator Josh Hawley, according to LegiStorm records, and he gave his name only as Tommy.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo the voter in the crowd was a staffer who left the Senate in February. I'd call that a very experienced audience member.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorFour minutes and forty-three seconds of clip, and twelve million views on X. That's a town hall with real turnout!
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorRex, got any heckler stories from the bench?
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From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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