Hasan Piker, CodePink Founder Subpoenaed In Federal Probe Of Anti-Israel Activist Network

Federal officials have subpoenaed far-left political streamer Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Medea Benjamin as part of an investigation into whether activists violated U.S. sanctions during a March trip to Cuba, according to Fox News.

The subpoenas, issued by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, seek financial, logistical and communications records tied to the trip.

The investigation focuses on possible Cuba sanctions violations, but also reaches into a broader network of far-left activist groups that became prominent in anti-Israel protests and campus demonstrations after the October 7 Hamas massacre. The Trump administration has increasingly targeted organizations it says are tied to foreign influence campaigns and adversarial regimes including Cuba, China and Iran.

Piker is one of the most influential far-left political streamers in the United States, with a large young progressive audience on platforms including Twitch and YouTube. He has drawn repeated criticism for anti-American and anti-Israel commentary, including after October 7. Critics, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, have accused him of amplifying antisemitic rhetoric, while Piker denies antisemitism and says his criticism is directed at Israel, not Jews.

Benjamin is a cofounder of CodePink, a far-left group that describes itself as anti-war and anti-interventionist. The group has become known for disruptive protests at congressional hearings and public events, and has been active in campaigns against U.S. support for Israel during the war in Gaza.

The March trip was part of the “Nuestra América Convoy,” a delegation of left-wing activists that traveled to Cuba with supplies including medical aid. Organizers, including CodePink, said the trip was meant to show solidarity with Cuba and oppose longstanding U.S. sanctions on the communist-run island.

Federal investigators are now examining whether activists on the trip illegally coordinated with or provided support to entities linked to the Cuban government, which is heavily restricted under U.S. sanctions law. Authorities are also investigating whether money spent on hotels, transportation, supplies or other logistics violated federal rules governing travel and financial transactions involving Cuba.

According to Fox News Digital, the wider investigation could involve as many as 40 Americans who participated in the convoy, with additional subpoenas expected. The report said federal officials are also scrutinizing broader activist networks connected to CodePink, Democratic Socialists of America circles and organizations linked to businessman Neville Roy Singham.

Singham has faced scrutiny over funding to left-wing organizations accused by critics of promoting pro-China, pro-Cuba and anti-U.S. messages. CodePink cofounder Jodie Evans, Singham’s wife, also took part in the Cuba trip, according to the report.

There is significant overlap between the activist networks involved in the Cuba convoy, broader “anti-imperialist” organizing and the anti-Israel protest movement that emerged after October 7. Many of the same groups and activists became active in ceasefire demonstrations, campus encampments and campaigns against U.S. military aid to Israel. Piker and CodePink were both prominent voices in those movements during the war in Gaza. 

Progressive activists and civil liberties groups are likely to frame the subpoenas as political targeting or intimidation of anti-war and anti-Israel activism. Federal officials, according to Fox, are examining whether the activity involved prohibited transactions or support for Cuba’s communist regime.