Will Saletan gives his take on how Republicans accused of serious misconduct have learned to survive scandal. All they have do is follow Donald Trump’s example: never resign, deny everything, attack the accusers, call the investigation “political,” and invoke Trump’s own history as proof that they can stay in the fight. From Duncan Hunter and Matt Gaetz to George Santos, Cory Mills and Max Miller, Will walks through how Trump has become the model for Republican politicians facing allegations, investigations and convictions — with endorsements, pardons and political support often waiting on the other side.
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Daily Mail, Fox News, Shutterstock)
A NEW MAGA ATTACK on Abdul El-Sayed is making the rounds. This one is about his tenure as public health director in Detroit, and how he supposedly oversaw an animal control unit that was rife with abuse and cruelty. The unit was a “slaughterhouse,” according to a Thursday Daily Mail headline that by now has almost certainly landed in millions of social media feeds, thanks to retweets from prominent right-wing influencers and Republican politicians.
But the attack appears to be nonsense.
Not spin. Not shading of the truth. Total, utter nonsense—the kind that tells the very opposite of the actual story.
As it happens, that actual story is politically relevant. There really were big problems with animal control in Detroit. But El-Sayed didn’t create them. He inherited them when he became Detroit’s public health director. And according to every source I could find on Friday, as this controversy was ricocheting across the internet, El-Sayed’s efforts helped to make those problems better.
A single set of figures illustrates the progress during his sixteen-month tenure. The “save” rate—meaning, the percentage of animals not euthanized—was no higher than 26 percent when he took over in 2015, and probably lower. (The exact figure is unclear because of some data issues back then.1)
In 2016, the first full year animal control was under his management, the save rate was up to around 60 percent. By the time he left in 2017, in order to run for governor, it was approaching 70 percent.2
Those numbers come from Melissa Miller, the animal rights advocate and expert whom El-Sayed had put in charge of animal control—and who told me during a phone interview Friday that she was furious about the stories circulating on social media, because they were so off-base. Miller described El-Sayed as “transformational,” explaining that “he inherited an extremely dysfunctional and inhumane department” and yet managed to bring in new management and start changing the culture within a few weeks.3
“I think that’s pretty impressive,” she said.
Tracking down Miller was not difficult: It took just one call. But even that small effort was not necessary to understand the truth. The two news clips now making the rounds on social media—that article in the Daily Mail, another on the Fox News website—contain exonerating information. But it’s buried in the text, below headlines and framing making it seem as if the animal control unit’s problems were El-Sayed’s doing.
That’s what makes the smear of El-Sayed more than just another instance of dishonest propaganda. It’s a case study in how easily misinformation can metastasize in our national political debates. And it’s best understood by looking back at what was actually happening in Detroit’s animal control when El-Sayed first took his post in city government.
CONDITIONS AND PRACTICES in Detroit’s animal control department were bleak in 2015, according to media reports from the time. Drains in the nearly century-old building backed up regularly, creating pools of raw sewage. Maggots fed on dead rats.
Owners who came to reclaim their pets frequently discovered they were injured or had infections, Miller told me. And for those that weren’t claimed? “There were no adoptions,” Miller said. “Basically, if an owner did not reclaim a dog or cat, they did not leave. Everything was euthanized.”
At the time, Mayor Mike Duggan was less than two years into his tenure, and still in the early stages of a project to rebuild government infrastructure after years of downsizing and then a full municipal bankruptcy. In late August, Duggan appointed El-Sayed with a mission to reconstitute the public health department, which had shrunk to just five employees and was outsourcing most of its work to contractors. Less than two months later, in mid-October, Duggan formally announced that he was giving El-Sayed oversight of the animal control unit, which previously had been under the police department’s management.
It’s not clear whether the idea was Duggan’s or El-Sayed’s, or how long before that announcement El-Sayed had begun to prepare for his new responsibilities. Either way, El-Sayed had to quickly learn about both the state of the unit and the basics of animal control, which is not something doctors or epidemiologists (El-Sayed is both) typically learn in school.
“Abdul did something that we had long hoped for within the animal welfare community,” Miller told me, “which is to meet with professionals, go see some shelters that are doing it right, talk to subject matter professionals and get an understanding of why everyone was saying like, no, this isn’t right.”
Almost immediately, Miller said, El-Sayed initiated a program to make a limited number of animals available for adoption every week. But that was a prelude to a bigger change: The appointment of Miller as the unit’s new director. That happened in December, about six weeks after El-Sayed had taken charge, in what the Detroit Newsdescribed as his “first major act.”
“The facility was in terrible shape and some of the practices were, frankly, inappropriate,” El-Sayed told the News. “Our system was, in many ways, broken. Both in terms of the way that we brought dogs in, we sheltered dogs, we paid and took care of the dogs with us. . . . All of those things needed to be rethought and they are being rethought actively.”
Shortly afterwards, he met with some activists who were protesting conditions at the shelter. “In the coming year the face of animal control will look very different than it has in the past,” he promised them.
El-Sayed followed through on those vows, Miller told me, pointing to the rapid drop in the euthanasia rate that began one month after she took over. And while she said El-Sayed mostly delegated management to her, she credits him with teaching her the ins and outs of department administration—and with responding quickly to time-sensitive matters, like finding contractors to clear the drains that were backing up fetid water into the kennels, even though he had his hands full trying to rebuild the health department.
“He gets when the decisions need to be made that day, and he was very responsive to that,” Miller said.
Could there be some hitherto unreported and unpublicized animal control problems from the time when El-Sayed had oversight? Sure. But El-Sayed has talked about this part of his biography for years and publicly he’s gotten praise for it, including from the mayor who put him in charge.
“He (El-Sayed) took it over, got us into the interim facility, lowered the euthanasia rate and wanted the permanent facility,” Duggan said in 2021, when announcing plans for a new shelter. “This is the culmination of what he had hoped for.”
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THE DAILY MAIL STORY STARTS with a menacing headline:
As the article explains in the text, the word “slaughterhouse” comes from a whistleblower lawsuit, by an employee who had reported poor conditions and abusive behavior to supervisors.4 But all of the incidents in the lawsuit are from before El-Sayed was in charge of the animal control unit, or even before he started as health commissioner.
The lawsuit never mentions him or the city health department. Instead, it mentions the police department, which was the agency that had overseen animal control before Duggan moved it over to El-Sayed’s portfolio.
Likewise, the Daily Mail article cites “particularly stark” euthanasia figures from 2015 as proof of what El-Sayed oversaw during some of the animal unit’s “darkest days.” Then, as an aside, it notes that the figures improved afterwards. But this is just another version of what Miller told me: That the unit had a high euthanasia rate until late 2015, when El-Sayed came in and started making changes.
The Fox Newsstory on the controversy actually notes this fact explicitly:
Detroit Animal Care and Control’s (DACC) live-release rate was roughly 20% to 26% when El-Sayed inherited the operation in late 2015 but climbed to about 61% to 62% by late 2016—an improvement his campaign points to in arguing that the raw number of animals euthanized during his tenure obscures a turnaround from the dire conditions and euthanasia rates he inherited.
But the headline on the article says:
Somebody who saw only the headline would assume the stories were real, especially if they also saw tweets by the likes of Mike Rogers, the Republican former congressman running against El-Sayed for Senate.
Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican who is chair of the House Republican Conference, tweeted that El-Sayed “literally ran a puppy slaughterhouse.”
The Republican National Committee tweeted that “Abdul is a puppy killer.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced it was forming a group called “Dogs Against Abdul.”
The newly formed “Democrats for Mike Rogers” tweeted “PURE EVIL” and warned the election posed a choice between “Abdul El-Sayed and your pets.”
Right-wing influencers like LibsOfTikTok and Laura Loomer also made big impressions—the latter by linking up the alleged animal abuse (which she’d actually tweeted about before the Daily Mail article) to her feelings about Muslims:
Just how much political impact any of this will have remains to be seen. El-Sayed is on the receiving end of an absolute torrent of attacks right now, many of them straight-up appeals to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments. And it’s likely just a taste of what’s to come. The animal control unit story might barely register by the time the campaign is done.
But stories about pet abuse, real or imagined, can break through to the public in ways that few other controversies can. Just ask Mitt Romney or Kristi Noem. That might help explain why attacks involving animal abuse have become a weapon of choice for Republicans, whether they’re lies about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets or distortions of Anthony Fauci’s record on animal experimentation.
Republicans and their allies don’t have to do this, obviously. El-Sayed has provided plenty of material for honest critics to attack. But going after his actual record would leave open the possibility voters might agree with him. Calling him a puppy killer is more likely to work and easier to spread, thanks to social media where even the most baseless, malicious rumors can count on credulous amplification.
Animal control units have many responsibilities, including protecting the public from violent animals. But the save/non-euthanasia rate is the metric that’s at the heart of this controversy. And in 2016 the animal control department announced that dog bites citywide were down 30 percent, attributing the improvement to outreach and education efforts.
Miller went on to serve as animal control director in nearby St. Clair County, resigning earlier this summer in protest of a policy local officials had adopted. She is now a private consultant on animal welfare issues.
Happy Saturday! Overtime is for everyone. If you’re a Bulwark+ membmer: thank you. If you’re not, there’s no better time to subscribe to Bulwark+ than today. If you like today’s issue, you can share this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
Well, it’s the end of summer… Our tradition, since moving here, has been to get to King’s Island before the regular season closes. Growing up in Cleveland, I am a big roller coaster fan (as most are). After a week of storms (and a derecho!) it was a gamble, but it turned out to be a beautiful, uncrowded day.
As seasons change, I get a little nostalgic, turning into Chris Stevens from Northern Exposure who once opined:
We look behind us to see how far we’ve come, and we realize that our past isn’t a solitary trail through secret woods, but a vista… as big and expansive as the ocean itself, with our experiences stretching to the horizon, like tiny dot-like sailboats sucked up into the enormous sea.
A good perspective from a great old show. But now that school and election season is in full swing, it’s good to know from whence you came, but clear about the path forward.
If you’re thinking: what’s something I can do? There’s an easy answer if money and time are tight: volunteer to be a poll worker. In 2023, I wrote an article on a great group called “Power to the Polls” trying to fill the ever present need for people to step up and administer our elections.
The battle lines of the next Republican primary are being drawn in Florida’s Republican primary for governor. There’s a ‘MAGA establishment’ frontrunner running with Donald Trump’s endorsement (but who a lot of Republicans aren’t that excited about). There’s a flamboyantly racist groyper with a wild personal life. And there’s a more Ron DeSantis-aligned candidate struggling to catch on. False Flag author Will Sommer joins Sarah to talk about:
The Florida governor’s race
The future of the America First faction that Tucker Carlson is leading
The growing dissatisfaction among rank-and-file Trump voters
Bulwark LIVE: The GOOD FIGHT TOURwith Tim, Sarah, Sam, and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets go on sale August 21. Bulwark+ members get early access via our presale starting August 18. Watch your inbox for details. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.
How to Eat an Elephant book tour is coming in September.Join Sarah and friends at one of these stops:
Washington, D.C. | New York City | Boston | Los Angeles | San Francisco | Chicago | Kenyon College
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(Photo illustraton by The Bulwark / Cover courtesy W. W. Norton & Company)
For the next Bulwark Book Club, Mona Charen and Sonny Bunch will talk all things the Odyssey after the epic poem had quite the summer at the box office.
Mona and Sonny will be reading Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s ancient Greek text. It’s the first English translation by a woman, and Wilson herself has had much critical feedback on Christopher Nolan’s film adaption.
See the film, read the translation or do both!
Mona and Sonny would love to hear from you, so please send your questions and thoughts to them on the Odyssey in the comments section of this post.
Programming note: Mona and Sonny will discuss the Odyssey LIVE on Wednesday, September 16 for Bulwark+ members at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Can’t join in live? A replay will be available as part of the Mona Charen Show.
Look for Emily Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey at local libraries or through major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and BookShop.org.
If you’re not yet a member, join today and join us for this discussion of the ancient classic turned summer box office phenomenon.
Tim Miller joins Alicia Menendez to discuss widespread calls for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign, Trump’s continued support for him, Democrats’ affordability message, and efforts to recruit stronger young candidates for down-ballot races nationwide.
When Graham Platner’s campaign was imploding, Republicans made sure to hang him around every Democrat's neck. Now, Democrats need to make Republicans own Rep. Max Miller, the alleged violent domestic abuser. That definitely includes Neverland Ranch fan Mike Lawler. Plus: Tim reads from the mailbag, more and more focus group voters are seeing that Trump only cares about his vanity projects, Joe Rogan does not seem to be following the news, Woke 1 got some things wrong but not "Abolish ICE," Sarah is sounding kind of left on healthcare, and Bill K is mayor of The Bulwark.
Sarah Longwell joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
Recommended films: Idiocracy, Face in the crowd, Primary Colors
Bulwark LIVE: GOOD FIGHT TOUR with Tim, Sarah, Sam and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets go on sale August 21. Bulwark+ members get early access via our presale starting August 18. Watch your inbox for details. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.
As always: Watch, listen, hit the like button or leave a comment. We want to hear from you.
Ad-free editions of The Bulwark Daily are available exclusively for Bulwark+ members.
Tim Miller’s Bulwark Daily is available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube. New shows drop each weekday afternoon. If you like the show, leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐ wherever you listen.
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Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on the growing crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where sailors have endured months at sea with poor food and living conditions, disrupted communications, and little clarity about when they will finally come home. Now, there's been several reports that sailors have considered or attempted jumping overboard. And yet, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the situation “completely misrepresented.”
(1) There are still balcony seats left for the Best Friends Show in NYC on September 8. Come sell out the 92nd Street Y with us! You can get tickets here.
If we sell this show out, JVL will do something nuts.
(2) Sarah, Tim, Sam and I are coming to South Carolina, North Carolina, and Atlanta in October for Bulwark LIVE. We’re bringing friends. Tickets go on sale August 21, but Bulwark+ members get access to an exclusive presale on August 18. Upgrade today to get early access to the best seats.
Trump is trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center again. Grandpa is so thirsty.
Karoline Leavitt is taking her talent for baldfaced lying to the private sector. Who will be the lucky news organization to buy the privilege of having her lie to its audience? And what lucky liar will inherit her spot behind the podium?
JVL loses his mind over the revelation that after DHS agents murdered Alex Pretti, the federal government launched far-reaching investigations against . . . liberal activist groups in Minnesota. This story will take your hate-fire to 11.
Sarah was always right about the Wisconsin Democratic primary.
Why don’t progressives say a little prayer of thanksgiving for winning a big race in Minnesota with Peggy Flanagan while not having to defend Francesca Hong? Take the W.
Also: JVL has some nice things to say about Bernie while Sarah is totally getting there on AOC.
(4) And then there’s the feelings talk. JVL has a lot of them. About Flash and mortality and his gratitude to all of you guys.
(Also: (5) We have news about Rebecca taking us home.)
This isn’t an Instant Classic level show, but it’s a good one. Top quintile for sure. Come to the comments and hang with us there all weekend.
The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!
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