UMVA has learned that Code Pink’s co‑founder Medea Benjamin was recently hit with an administrative subpoena from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, demanding a deep dive into the organization’s March convoy to Cuba.
The request, a rare and powerful tool often reserved for probing potential sanctions violations, arrives amid a sweeping federal push to tighten the reins on activist nonprofits operating abroad. Officials have warned that charities can no longer hide behind fiscal sponsors when their funds or logistics intersect with unlawful or violent activities.
In a recent White House briefing, Treasury officials declared that nonprofits must now vigilantly vet every grant recipient, insisting that any link to repression or violence makes the donor liable. The message is clear: ignorance is no longer an excuse.
Against this backdrop, the OFAC inquiry into the Cuba mission appears to be a test case, probing whether Code Pink and its partners complied with U.S. sanctions that bar most financial dealings with the Cuban government and require strict licensing and record‑keeping.
Benjamin revealed that she and political streamer Hasan Piker first caught wind of the subpoena when a news outlet reported the Treasury’s move late on a Saturday. Neither she nor Piker received a formal service; instead, an email slipped into Code Pink co‑founder Jody Evans’ spam folder, labeled as an unofficial Treasury letter.
She described the delivery as “unofficial” and “intimidating,” noting that the email demanded a staggering amount of documentation. “They’re asking for everything—from how we got there, where we stayed, to every hour we spent on the island,” Benjamin said, adding that the questionnaire even queried how many hours they slept.
The probe lists roughly a dozen hyper‑specific questions, a scope that could force organizers to account for the actions of every one of the 170 participants who joined the humanitarian convoy. “Do they really want a minute‑by‑minute log of each person’s day?” she wondered.
Benjamin emphasized that the convoy delivered about $600,000 worth of aid, a figure that underscores the Treasury’s appetite for granular financial details. She framed the subpoena as a deliberate attempt to deter Americans from traveling to Cuba or providing humanitarian assistance.
“It’s a clear message to anyone thinking about going to Cuba: beware,” she warned. “But we refuse to be cowed. If anything, this fuels our anger and strengthens our resolve to keep fighting.”
Meanwhile, Piker maintains he never received the Treasury’s request, sparking speculation that the real target may be a broader network of left‑leaning groups linked to a prominent tech philanthropist accused of funneling millions into anti‑government activism.
