Finally: CNN’s Dana Bash and Media Discover Terror-Loving Hasan Piker

Nicholas Spinnato
April 9th, 2026 11:08 AM

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In recent weeks, many in the media have finally found the horrific comments of far-left, progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has said America deserved 9/11, along with other comments supporting terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. The trend continued on Wednesday’s Inside Politics on CNN with host Dana Bash, as Bash displayed some of Piker's past comments.

In the wake of a highly covered event with far-left Michigan Senate candidate Abdul Al-Sayed, some at CNN have finally discovered the time to cover the bad of Piker, even though he has been a political figure for a while, which includes his support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and other progressives.

Bash led the final segment of the show, which discussed Piker: “Now to the Michigan Senate race, where a Democratic candidate is forging a controversial alliance with a left-wing streamer who has defended Hamas terrorists.”

 

 

She then brought up his comments that many left-leaning media outlets, in the puff pieces about him as the “left’s Joe Rogan”, fail to mention: 

Here's some of what he actually has said about the depravity of the October 7th terror attack, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

Quote, “it doesn't matter if f-ing rapes happened on October 7th. Like that doesn't change the dynamic for me. The Palestinian resistance is not perfect.” 

Now let that sink in. Hasan Piker was excusing sexual violence by Hamas terrorists. He also claims Hamas is, quote, “a thousand times better than Israel.”

Bash also played his notable clip about 9/11:

“BASH: (...) And here's what Piker said about the horrors of September 11th, 2001.

[Cuts to video]

PIKER: America deserved 9/11 dude. F*** it, I'm saying it. Like we f-ing totally brought it on ourselves, dude. Holy shit, we did. We ****ing did.

Bash finally noted the progressives who associate themselves with Hasan and have appeared with him, including Sanders and AOC. 

 

 

Then, panelist David Chalian said the quiet part out loud: 

“The Sayed operation is betting the Piker popularity with the base is um, is the safer bet in the cost-benefit analysis to make for him. And I just think that that's a really interesting thing to have us watch because the politics of Israel inside the Democratic party, especially in the state of Michigan with a big Arab American population, as we saw in the ‘24 primary. This is still like a live wire inside the Democratic party.”

That’s a sad reality to face. And a hypocritical one since the liberal media constantly try to tie extremists to conservatives no matter how many times they’re denounced.

But the question for the media: What took so long? Hasan has been gaining popularity for years with progressives and has appeared with Bernie Sanders and AOC multiple times?

Piker actively supported Zohran Mamdani throughout his election campaign, so much so that Mamdani had to distance himself from Piker’s comments in a mayoral debate. 

He has also played terrorist propaganda videos on stream, in one instance leaving a guest of his to watch a Houthi propaganda video by himself for a few minutes.

These comments are not anything new. It's only because some, like MS NOW favorite and The Bulwark's Tim Miller and the Pod Save America people, have wanted to reach out to him want to “build the tent.” 

All of the information was out in the open, but CNN had promoted Piker before and painted him in a positive light. For example, he has been interviewed by CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan before in a mostly positive light. 

Recently, Jake Tapper was criticized by the far-left, including those from left-wing Drop-Site News, for coverage of Hasan's past comments.

It has been a shock, like Piker’s shock of his dog on stream, that it has taken so long for the media to critically cover Piker.

The transcript from CNN's Inside Politics is below. Click "expand":

CNN’s Inside Politics w/ Dana Bash

April 8, 2026

12:48:23 PM Eastern

BASH: Now to the Michigan Senate race where a Democratic candidate is forging a controversial alliance with a left-wing streamer who has defended Hamas terrorists. Abdul El-Sayed campaigned yesterday with 34-year-old Hasan Piker, who has more than three million followers on the gaming platform Twitch, as well as YouTube. Here he is at the El-Sayed rally in Ann Arbor.

[Cuts to video]

HASAN PIKER: Every single person in here and myself included saw heinous war crimes take place every single day for the past two-and-a-half years and we didn't stand idly by, we spoke out. And in the beginning, it was a lot lonelier when we spoke out. 

They used the same exact heinous smears. They said you're anti-semitic. They said you were a radical Islamist.You're a radical fundamentalist, but also really woke at the same time. It doesn't really make sense. And back then, I felt a lot lonelier. But I don't feel lonely anymore.

[Cuts back to live]

BASH: That is Hasan Piker attempting to airbrush his past statements. Here's some of what he actually has said about the depravity of the October 7th terror attack, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the holocaust. Quote, "It doesn't matter if f-ing rapes happened on October 7th, like that doesn't change the dynamic for me. The Palestinian Resistance is not perfect."

Now, let that sink in. Hasan Piker is excusing sexual violence by Hamas terrorists. He also claims Hamas is, quote, "A thousand times better than Israel." Hamas is a designated terror organization, not just by the U.S., but by the E.U., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, just to name a few.

And here's what Piker said about the horrors of September 11th, 2001.

[Cuts to video]

PIKER: America deserved 9/11 dude. F*** it, I'm saying it. Like we f-ing totally brought it on ourselves, dude. Holy shit, we did. We f-ing did.

[Cuts back to live]

BASH: Now, Piker did later call that comment inappropriate and said he didn't mean Americans deserved to die. Several progressive politicians have appeared with Piker on Twitch, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Congressman Ro Khanna. Other Democrats, including El-Sayed's primary opponents in Michigan, Mallory McMorrow and Haley Stevens, not only refuse, but both condemn Piker and his comments. 

My panel is back now. David Chalian?

CHALIAN: I just think this is a fascinating bet that El-Sayed is making here, that, like, refusing to back down from his association with Piker, embracing it, standing with him, is a political bet. And it doesn't mean, you know, all those comments you went through, that will play a role here too. As you noted, McMorrow and Stevens, his opponents, are going to make this a part of the campaign.

But the Sayed operation is betting the Piker popularity with the base is the safer bet in the cost/benefit analysis to make for him. And I just think that that's a really interesting thing to have us watch, because the politics of Israel inside the Democratic Party, especially in the state of Michigan, with a big American population, as we saw in the 24th primary, this is still like a live wire inside the Democratic Party.

BASH: Yeah, I mean, it's also a state where there were almost 100- something preschoolers almost murdered by a terrorist who, you know, obviously was, thank God, stopped from doing it.

Piker talked to our colleague, Donie O'Sullivan a couple of weeks ago and I want to play what he said.

[Cuts to video]

PIKER: I've spent my entire professional media career, and far beyond that, combating anti-semitism. I've been doxed, swatted by neo-Nazis for my consistent advocacy against anti-semitism. I just also happen to be an avowed anti-Zionist. I believe Zionism is a very racist ideology.

It's an ethno-religious supremacist ideology. And it's the underpinning ideology that has caused the genocide of Palestinians in the hands of Israel and also the United States of America.

[Cuts back to live]

BASH: Now, just a little bit of sort of fact-checking here and context, because it's important, because these terms are thrown around without understandably people really knowing what they mean to a lot of people.

First of all, Zionism, what is it actually? It's a nationalist movement, an ideology supporting the notion of a Jewish state, the Jewish people's right to self-determination. He just called that a racist ideology, the right for Jews to have self-determination.

Deborah Lipstadt, who is one of the foremost experts, academic experts, who worked in the State Department on anti-semitism, I talked to her about this a couple of years ago and many times since. The difference between, "anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism." Here's how she answered that.

[Cuts to video]

DEBORAH LIPSTADT: Criticism of Israeli policy is not anti-semitism. But when you question the right of Jews to a national identity, when you question the existence of a Jewish state, you've moved beyond the political. 

[Cuts back to live]

BASH: Shelby?

TALCOTT: Yeah, I mean, when you -- I think he's sort of intentionally trying to get in the weeds here to maybe shift the spotlight away from some of his past comments, which I think everyone can agree are unacceptable. But this is the broader issue, I think, in this day and age in particular, with everybody being so online, with a ton of younger voters starting to get in the mix.

On both sides of the aisle, the ultimate question is, how far do we want to go with this? And one of the reasons that Democrats lost in the last election was because the American people felt like they were too far to the left and they weren't necessarily representing the average American voter.

And so it's really interesting that you have candidates who are teaming up with people who are sort of on the very far left side of it. On the flip side, you have the same issue in the Republican Party, where you have fringe folks sort of trying to weasel their way into this "mainstream orbit."

And there's a question with both parties of what do we do with these folks?

BASH: Yeah.

TALCOTT: Should we be going on their podcast? Should we be denouncing them?

BASH: Yeah. I mean, it's such an important point. What was before thought of as fringe, here, both sides are definitely sort of moving into the mainstream slowly but surely.

On that note, you mentioned it is Michigan, but it's beyond that. Ro Khanna, for example, he said that he has no regrets about appearing on Hasan Piker's show.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS: It's interesting because going back to the last presidential campaign, you were mentioning the Democrats moving to the left. Another reason they struggled is, you know, they often face criticism on not meeting people where they were, just communication-wise, right? And you know, Hasan Piker, other influencers, these people have millions of followers, right?

BASH: Yeah.

KANNO-YOUNGS: And Dems see it as a way to reach a younger, disgruntled base that is losing faith in their political system, right? But the dynamic that you're talking about, what comes with that benefit of reaching those folks? Yes, you had the interview there with Hasan Piker. I think what's even going to be more influential is the questions that are put to the politicians that choose to go on these platforms.

They're also going to face the questions of whether or not they defend these statements and these views.

(...)

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