Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed apparently enjoyed having socialist streamer Hasan Piker around when campaign crowds and online attention were part of the equation.

Now that questions are being asked about that relationship, the Michigan Democrat seems much less enthusiastic about discussing his prominent political guest.

During an appearance on Face the Nation on Sunday, El Sayed was asked about Piker, whose long record of inflammatory commentary includes saying that America deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks.

El Sayed responded by trying to wave away the issue entirely.

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“I’m not all that interested in having a conversation about a Twitch streamer,” El Sayed told Face the Nation on Sunday.

That is a convenient position for a candidate who previously brought the same Twitch streamer to multiple campaign events.

Piker was apparently relevant enough to appear alongside El Sayed when his considerable online following could help generate attention.

Once Piker’s rhetoric became part of the public discussion, however, El Sayed suddenly decided the relationship was not interesting enough to explain.

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That is not how political accountability works, regardless of how badly Democrats may wish otherwise.

Candidates do not get to embrace controversial activists when it benefits them, then dismiss those activists as random internet personalities when journalists finally start asking obvious questions.

El Sayed’s answer also avoided the substance of the controversy surrounding Piker.

The issue is not simply that Piker broadcasts on Twitch, but that he has built a national profile while repeatedly pushing radical socialist politics and incendiary statements.

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The remark about America deserving the September 11 attacks is especially serious.

For millions of Americans, including families who lost loved ones that day, such language is not edgy entertainment or harmless online chatter.

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If El Sayed believes Piker’s past comments are unacceptable, he could say so clearly and without hesitation.

If he believes those remarks have been misunderstood or should not matter, he could make that argument and allow voters to judge his reasoning.

Instead, El Sayed chose the familiar political escape hatch of pretending the question itself was beneath him.

It is a neat little trick, but it does not erase the campaign appearances or explain why Piker was welcomed into El Sayed’s political orbit.

Voters are entitled to know whom a candidate chooses to elevate, especially when that person carries a record of radical rhetoric.

Campaign events are deliberate productions, and guests are not accidentally teleported onto the stage by some mysterious force beyond the candidate’s control.

The dispute also offers another glimpse into how the socialist left handles scrutiny.

Their allies are treated as influential cultural figures when they can excite young voters, draw online viewers, and attack conservatives, but they become mere entertainers the moment their baggage becomes inconvenient.

El Sayed could have ended much of the controversy with a direct answer.

Instead, his refusal invites further questions about what he thinks of Piker’s views and whether he regrets featuring the streamer at campaign gatherings.

The public does not need another polished politician deciding which relationships count only after those relationships become politically costly.

Americans have seen enough of that routine, especially from candidates who demand sweeping accountability from everyone outside their own ideological camp.

El Sayed may not be interested in discussing Hasan Piker, but voters and reporters have every reason to remain interested.

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When a candidate campaigns with a radical socialist personality, the resulting questions are not distractions, they are part of evaluating the candidate’s judgment.

The lesson is simple enough for any campaign to understand.

If a political ally is worth showcasing before the cameras, that ally should also be worth explaining when the cameras start asking tougher questions.

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