SouthernWorldwide.com – Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, has publicly confirmed that her organization received a formal inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This inquiry seeks detailed information regarding CodePink’s trip to Cuba in March.
This type of inquiry, often referred to as an administrative subpoena, comes at a time when the Trump administration has signaled an increased federal focus on nonprofit organizations involved in foreign policy and activism.
In October of the previous year, following the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to enhance enforcement against nonprofit entities that provide support for political violence.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated this stance this week, emphasizing that nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors cannot claim immunity from legal accountability when their resources, funding, infrastructure, or grants are used to support illegal activities and political violence.
“We have made significant progress, and I believe we will have much to report in the coming weeks and months,” Bessent stated in response to a question during a press briefing at the White House.
He further elaborated that, under new regulations, the IRS will require nonprofits to verify their grant recipients. This means that if a grant recipient engages in violent actions or suppresses people’s rights, the nonprofit organization can be held responsible.
This development indicates a heightened focus from the administration on whether nonprofit networks are adequately overseeing the projects, activists, and international campaigns they fund. Within this context, the OFAC’s inquiry into the Cuba convoy aligns with Treasury officials’ efforts to ascertain whether activist organizations are adhering to U.S. laws and federal restrictions, including sanctions.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control is responsible for enforcing U.S. sanctions against Cuba. These sanctions limit Americans’ ability to engage in many financial transactions with the Cuban government and mandate that travelers and organizations comply with licensing and record-keeping requirements for authorized activities.
Benjamin revealed that the inquiry was initially sent to CodePink co-founder Jody Evans via email. She noted that the email was so informal that it was directed to their spam folder. The communication originated from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC.
While Benjamin criticized the informal delivery of the inquiry, she acknowledged the seriousness of the request due to the extensive amount of information being sought by federal officials.
“It is serious because they are requesting all sorts of information,” Benjamin stated. “This is a tactic of intimidation that forces us to hire a lawyer and dedicate significant staff time and energy.”
According to Benjamin, the inquiry consists of approximately a dozen detailed questions pertaining to the trip and its participants.
“They are asking about 12 very detailed questions, including queries like, ‘How did you get there? Where did you stay? What did you do every hour that you were there?'” Benjamin recounted. “I suppose we will have to inform them of our sleeping hours as well.”
Benjamin mentioned that around 170 individuals participated in the convoy. She suggested that the scope of the inquiry might necessitate organizers providing an account of the activities of every single participant.
“There were 170 people, so I am unsure if they want to know what every single person did every single minute of the day,” she commented.
Benjamin also confirmed that the organizers transported humanitarian supplies to Cuba.
“What we brought – and we brought about $600,000 worth of aid – so it is a substantial amount of information they are seeking,” Benjamin added.
Benjamin characterized the inquiry as an attempt to deter Americans from traveling to Cuba or participating in humanitarian missions to the communist island. However, she affirmed that organizers would persist with their activities despite the federal scrutiny.
“And of course, this is intended to make people think, ‘Uh oh, should I go to Cuba? Uh oh, should I continue to provide humanitarian aid?'” Benjamin questioned. “The answer is yes. We cannot be intimidated. In fact, we must use this as another reason for our anger at the U.S. government and redouble our efforts.”
Meanwhile, Piker has maintained that he has not received any inquiry from the Treasury Department. He has generated further speculation by suggesting that the “real goal” of the investigation is to target American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham. Singham has reportedly invested $285 million since 2017 into a network of groups, including CodePink and BreakThrough News, allegedly to spread pro-China propaganda and sow discord through large-scale anti-American street protests.
CodePink and BreakThrough News have been prominent participants in these street protests, and Piker has offered his support for them during his extensive livestreams.
