FIRST ON FOX: Federal officials have issued administrative subpoenas to political influencer Hasan Piker and activist Susan Medea Benjamin, probing whether their travel and activities in March crossed U.S. sanctions related to Cuba and whether foreign actors are leveraging American nonprofits and activists to advance a pro-communist agenda.
Federal authorities say the subpoenas come from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and are officially labeled “Requests for Information,” or RFI. Investigators want financial records, travel logistics and communications tied to trips taken with the “Nuestra América Convoy,” or “Our America Convoy,” a delegation that reportedly brought supplies to Cuba this spring.
The inquiry is part of a wider campaign by Treasury, State and Justice officials to detect and disrupt foreign influence operations inside the United States. From a conservative viewpoint, this is about stopping hostile regimes and their sympathizers from exploiting American freedoms to undermine national security and normalizing communist propaganda on U.S. soil.
Names linked to the probe range from high-profile streamers to longtime activists and funding networks with deep pockets. Reporting indicates major donors have funneled substantial sums into groups that regularly champion anti-U.S. narratives, while organizations and individuals have paraded their Havana visits online with little regard for complex sanctions rules.
Authorities describe the convoy as large and international, with hundreds of delegates from dozens of countries and over a hundred organizations represented. The presence of U.S.-based groups and recognizable activists on the ground in Havana has intensified scrutiny about whether those visits were innocent solidarity trips or coordinated efforts that violated U.S. export and travel restrictions.
Legal experts point to a familiar enforcement toolkit: the “Cuban Asset Control Regulations,” administered by OFAC, and potential criminal exposure under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. OFAC can impose civil penalties under a strict liability standard, while criminal charges would require proving willful intent or concealment by prosecutors.
Officials say the dragnet could reach as many as 40 American citizens who traveled or took part in planning, alongside foreign organizers. Investigators are also tracking financiers, logistics coordinators and nonprofit networks believed to have supported or publicized the convoy, with more subpoenas expected as the probe widens.
Hasan Piker’s public posts drew attention long before subpoenas arrived; he posted “I’M GOING TO CUBA.” and later defended Cuban leaders on livestreams, calling certain U.S. moves a “sham” with “no legal standing,” according to his commentary. Conservative critics point to past incendiary remarks attributed to Piker, such as “America deserved 9/11,” as evidence of a pattern that requires careful scrutiny when foreign regimes are involved.
Susan Medea Benjamin and CodePink are known for theatrical protests and high-profile disruptions at government events, often framing their actions as anti-war and humanitarian. Investigators are examining whether those public stunts masked logistical support to actors on the island or whether the trips crossed the line from solidarity into unauthorized support for a regime with a long record of repression.
The probe also touches on lesser-known figures who can gain access through charm and spectacle, including organizers and coordinators who traveled with the convoy. Observers told investigators that some delegation members stayed at properties the State Department flags on a “Cuba Restricted List,” creating more questions about ties to entities linked to the Cuban government.
For Republicans and national security-minded citizens, the heart of the matter is clear: American civil society and speech do not include a license to assist or normalize hostile foreign regimes. The enforcement actions now underway test whether lines between legitimate advocacy and unlawful support for a foreign government were crossed, and they will be judged by the legal standards OFAC and the Justice Department apply.
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