NEWARK, N.J. – Amidst a spontaneous gathering at a protest near the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, Marxist political commentator Hasan Piker made a rare public appearance. He stood by individuals from a pro-China activist network, financially supported by American Marxist tech mogul Neville Roy Singham, describing them as “wonderful people” and downplaying any controversy surrounding his recent visit to Cuba.
When questioned about the investigative reports on Singham’s network and its ties to far-left activism, Piker remarked on the “environment of suspicion” that surrounds Singham’s initiatives. He insisted that these activities are “completely above board and absolutely legal,” despite their portrayal as something more ominous.
In recent times, activists linked to Singham’s network have been instrumental in organizing and intensifying protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across various cities, including Minneapolis, New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey.
Piker’s comments are significant because he is more than just a popular Twitch streamer. With millions of young followers across Twitch, YouTube, and other social media, Piker has become a major — and often divisive — voice on the American left. He frequently rallies support for candidates and issues that resonate with the Democratic Socialists of America, donning a baseball cap with the group’s emblem during the protest.
Through his platforms, Piker has interviewed, endorsed, and campaigned for candidates associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, effectively connecting them with younger, politically-engaged audiences. His vast reach in digital spaces has made him a pivotal figure in Democratic politics, capable of shaping public discourse and boosting grassroots support for candidates championing socialist and anti-establishment agendas.
Reports indicate that Singham, an American Marxist tech entrepreneur, has funneled $285 million since 2017 into a network of nonprofits. These organizations have been responsible for orchestrating and leading contentious anti-American demonstrations, such as the current one in New Jersey.
“I don’t have any personal contact with Roy Singham or any of these other people,” Piker said, in response to questions from Fox News Digital. “I mean, I know some of these people. They’re wonderful people in general. They’re activists….None of it is actually hidden or illegal in any way, shape or form.”
The remarks come as federal investigators have expanded scrutiny of activists involved in travel to communist Cuba, including organizations and individuals linked to the broader network of nonprofits and advocacy groups that have received funding from Singham and his wife, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans.
As reported exclusively by Fox News Digital last Saturday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sent Piker and CodePink an administrative subpoena as part of an investigation into a March convoy to Cuba. Piker claimed he hadn’t personally received any legal notice.
“Fox News Digital says I have a subpoena, but I have yet to be served one,” Piker said. “So I don’t even know what’s going on. It kind of feels like you guys have more insight into what the federal government’s doing than I do, and I’m supposed to be subpoenaed.”
Piker’s comments follow disclosures by CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin that Evans received the query via an email that initially landed in a spam folder.
“We heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out,” Benjamin said in an interview shared publicly by BreakThrough News, another nonprofit that Singham has funded. “I was going outside my front door looking around for somebody to serve me. And it turns out that it was an email that was sent to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box.”
As reported, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sent investigative letters seeking financial, logistical and communications documents about the March convoy. The Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces U.S. sanctions programs, including restrictions governing financial transactions and certain travel-related activities involving Cuba.
Fox News Digital has reported that the March 2026 convoy to Cuba involved a transnational network of activists organized by another Singham-funded group, the People’s Forum, and a nonprofit, Progressive International, both with close ties to the communist regime in Cuba.
The activists are protesting U.S. sanctions on the communist island. Piker participated in the trip alongside members of Code Pink and a network of 145 organizations, according to a Fox News Digital investigation.
Piker framed the investigation as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to target political activists and protesters, arguing that scrutiny of Cuba travel conflicted with Trump’s campaign promises to defend free speech.
“I feel like there are a lot of people who believed in that message, and now he’s betrayed that message,” Piker said.
Piker told Fox News Digital that he welcomed a debate with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Piker, who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was visiting his home state from his $2 million home in West Hollywood, California, canvassing at a Saturday rally in Trenton for a controversial candidate, Adam Hamamy, endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America in his race for the U.S. Congress.
The New York Times published a profile on Saturday, noting the candidate’s “ties to a militant cleric.” Piker defended Hamamy.
Last week, on a livestream on the Twitch platform where he talked for about six hours nonstop, the influencer dismissed concerns about his connections to organizations involved in the Cuba convoy, while acknowledging that Singham finances a network of left-wing nonprofits engaged in “political advocacy” and “a lot of political movements.”
Critics have argued the network functions as a coordinated activist infrastructure advancing pro-communist causes, including support for Cuba, China and other authoritarian governments opposed to U.S. foreign policy.
As Fox News Digital asked Piker about concerns related to malign foreign influence from China, including at far-left activist events such as the anti-ICE protest unfolding around him, an activist shouted, “Get out of here, dog abuser,” a reference to allegations Piker trained his dog, Kaya, with a shock collar.
Piker has denied the allegations.
