Mayor Ghalib and his campaign consultant: ‘In like Flynn’?

Mayor Amer Ghalib (left) poses with former National Security Advisor Michal Flynn (center) at a recent event that Flynn was speaking at. Flynn has been criticized for his rightwing political views and for being part of the QAnon movement. Also in the photo is a campaign consultant for Ghalib, Adam Alharbi.

By Charles Sercombe
Mayor Amer Ghalib has once again found himself in the middle of a political controversy.
Ghalib, who is the city’s first Yemeni-American to become Hamtramck’s mayor, was previously criticized by the LGBTQ community and their supporters after he and the city council banned the display of pride flags on public property.
This past week, Ghalib was criticized on social media for going to an event where former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was speaking.
Ghalib and his campaign consultant, Adam Alharbi, posed for a photo with Flynn at a recent event in Sterling Heights.
Flynn, a right-wing conservative, served as National Security Advisor for former President Trump — for just a few weeks — before being fired by Trump for lying to Vice President Pence regarding a probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
The former Army general was then convicted of lying to the FBI about those interactions he had with Russia.
Trump later pardoned Flynn before Flynn received a court sentence.
Since then, Flynn has become associated with the QAnon movement, which has been described as “a political conspiracy theory and political movement. … QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as ‘Q,’” according to Wikipedia.
In another incident, Flynn railed against Islam, calling it a “vicious cancer.”
Flynn was also deposed by the Congressional January 6th Committee about his role in the mob attack on the U.S. Capital as Congress was about to verify the 2020 presidential election results.
January 6th Committee member Liz Cheney asked Flynn whether he believed “the violence on Jan. 6 was justified.”
Flynn answered by pleading his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself.
He also pleaded the Fifth when asked by Cheney whether he “believes in the peaceful transition of power in America,” and went on to plead the Fifth repeatedly throughout his deposition.
In the PBS Frontline documentary series, Flynn has been described as “one of the most dangerous individuals in America today” by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian and expert on authoritarianism and fascism.
On the Facebook page called “Hamtramck Square,” where the photo of Ghalib posing with Flynn was posted, commenter Michael Patrick Nosbisch said: “Chumming it up with traitors. Great look.”
K. Natasha Foreman also was critical of Ghalib: “Seems like Amer has political aspirations beyond mayor, banding with far right QAnon cult followers like Flynn, as the presidential election looms ahead. Be careful whose bed you’re climbing into; bigots like Flynn and Trump don’t change their colors. Just hating gay people isn’t enough for them to embrace you.”
Former Mayor Karen Majewski, who has tangled with Ghalib over an increasing number of issues lately, had harsh words about this encounter on her Facebook page.
“Here is a first in Hamtramck history,” Majewski said. “The mayor of our city hanging out with a genuine traitor to his country, Mike Flynn. Unless his country is actually Russia, in which case he’s a valued operative. SHAMEFUL.”
Mayor Ghalib, a Muslim, had this lengthy response to his critics:
“I’m a leader not a follower of Democrats or Republicans. Whoever doesn’t show respect to my values and principles, they will not get my support and I don’t need their support either.
“The general asked to meet me while he was still in Washington; I accepted the invitation and showed up toward the end of the event. We had a very constructive dialogue.
“I knew enough about him, and I clearly told him about our concerns and that we don’t appreciate the hate speech against Muslims that we hear from some republicans and he agreed with me that it must stop and a new page should be opened.
“The only way to fight hate is through communications and learning about each other, otherwise the wall of fear between different groups will continue to grow.
“And if I get invited by the president or the governor, I’ll show up, and I did many times, including going to the White House. It doesn’t mean that I agree with everything they do, but as a respect to them and as a way to build bridges, I would show up.
“I have read enough articles and received enough emails and seen enough actions to know for a fact how both sides feel about Islam.The coalition myth is just a big hoax that will not deceive us anymore. Actions on the ground speak louder than words.”
While Ghalib says he is not a “follower of Democrats or Republicans,” during his run for mayor, Ghalib accepted a donation of $7,880 from a Democratic-leaning political action committee (PAC) called “Higher Ground,” according to his campaign report submitted to the Wayne County Clerk’s Office.
Those reports are public records and available for view online for free.
According to Higher Ground’s campaign reports, which can be viewed online in the Secretary of State’s website, it donated money to a number of state Democrat candidates.
Ghalib’s appointee, Adam Alharbi, who was in the photo with Ghalib and Flynn, was paid over $4,000 for his consulting services from Ghalib’s campaign committee. Ghalib appointed Alharbi to the city’s Human Relations Commission.
Alharbi was also appointed by the city council to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and is a member of the Downtown Development Authority.
Also in Ghalib’s campaign report, he paid $177 for the services of an organization called ActBlue, which according to its website has “built a powerful online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, progressive organizations, and nonprofits”
In addition to that, Ghalib relied on consulting services from Ali Allam of West Bloomfield who was paid $3,700.
According to Allam’s LinkedIn page, he describes himself as a University of Michigan graduate who has a “passion for progressive politics, data analysis, education policy and Islamic sciences.”
Allam also assisted State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, of Hamtramck in his campaigns. Aiyash is a Democrat, and is the Majority Floor Leader.

Posted Aug. 11, 2023