Leftist Twitch streamer and op-ed lightning rod Hasan Piker has been served with a subpoena by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to FOX News. While he’s no stranger to controversy, the summons are in regards to his trip to Cuba back in March of this year, where he joined anti-war organization CodePink as part of an aid mission.
While still tied down with the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. government has been escalating tensions with Cuba since Trump’s return to the presidency. Most devastatingly, the administration set up a blockade last February, cutting Cuba off from oil tankers and starving the country for energy. It has many worried that Trump will attempt to invade Cuba as he had Venezuela. Over the last week, the U.S. indicted 94 year old former president Raúl Castro and signaled that the Department of Justice would be investigating sympathizing nonprofits. Which is what brings us to Twitch dot TV.
Taking medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Cuba is now a crime? Saving the lives of babies is a crime? This administration is beyond grotesque. https://t.co/xsvQGEYzb8
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) May 24, 2026
Last March Piker joined CodePink’s “Nuestra América Convoy,” a mission to deliver supplies and broadcast a clearer picture of Cuba on the ground. The group included multiple activists, artists and influencers, including CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and Irish musicians Kneecap. According to FOX, Benjamin has also been served with a subpoena. It isn’t confirmed how far reaching these summons will go, and whether Piker is being singled out due to his popularity.
Piker is often pegged as a Joe Rogan for the left, but he sooner compares himself to firebrand radio host Rush Limbaugh. As a full time streamer, saying incendiary things and yelling at teens in the chat is basically his job. But the scrutiny on Piker has clearly intensified in recent months from conservative and liberal media alike as he highlights news on Cuba, Iran and Palestine during streams. Piker has also been using his platform to add tailwind to political candidates in competitive races, sharing his popularity with Michigan senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, who is now leading polls.
A subpoena doesn’t directly translate to immediate criminal charges, but Piker and CodePink will be investigated for any financial ties or relations to the embargoed Cuban government. As the U.S. administration plays it pretty fast and loose with the law, it’s a move clearly designed to intimidate and stifle criticism. And given how Piker boils blood on both sides of the aisle, I wouldn’t hold my breath for political intervention from Democratic leadership either.