Hasan Piker Faces Investigation Over Cuba Trip
Left-wing political influencer Hasan Piker has responded to reports of a U.S. federal investigation into allegations that he breached U.S. laws and sanctions by visiting Cuba. Piker, along with Susan Medea Benjamin, co-founder of activist group CodePink, reportedly received a subpoena for their March trip to Cuba. Fox News Digital obtained documents from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to confirm these details.
During a Sunday livestream, Piker addressed his followers, stating that the news, in his words, was unfavorable yet concerning. He expressed his irritation by saying, “They’re up my a**.” He humorously interacted with supporters chanting “free me,” by playfully repeating the chant.
Yeah, free me. Free me. Free me. I can’t believe I’m saying that.
Investigative analyst Stu Smith made a post on X, observing that despite Piker’s confident demeanor, he seems to understand the seriousness of the situation. According to Smith, Piker received a voicemail from a Fox News producer notifying him of the subpoena before any journalist contacted him directly.
Newsweek has yet to verify the subpoenas and reached out to both OFAC and Piker for comments.
Investigation Details
Piker announced his plans to visit Cuba on March 10 through Instagram. However, U.S. sanctions, mainly under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), restrict most economic activities by U.S. citizens in Cuba unless specifically licensed. Exceptions exist for journalism, humanitarian efforts, educational purposes, and activities supporting the Cuban populace.
During his livestream, Piker maintained, “everything we did was cleared by Treasury.” Together with Benjamin, he is involved in a federal investigation probing if activists traveling to Cuba in March breached U.S. sanctions against Cuba’s Communist regime, as per Fox News Digital. The subpoenas, known as “Requests for Information” or RFI, seek financial, logistical, and communication details concerning the March trip organized by the “Nuestra América Convoy.”
Organizations within the Singham network led the convoy, including 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. Fox News Digital noted that delegation members supposedly stayed at a hotel on the U.S. State Department’s “Cuba Restricted List” due to its connections to the Cuban government, which Washington classifies as a state sponsor of terrorism. Reports indicate that the delegation provided supplies to Cuba’s ruling Communist Party.
While no charges are confirmed, Fox suggested this reflects the Trump administration’s effort to suppress foreign influence within the U.S. and activities backing entities deemed terrorists by the U.S. government. Piker criticized the U.S. Justice Department’s indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, dismissing it as legally baseless. He noted during his livestream that the investigation is not solely centered on Cuba but also ties to his support for anti-Israel voters and candidates.