Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) yesterday sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as executives at CNN, the Associated Press, Thomson Reuters, and The New York Times. All the news organizations reportedly had employees embedded with Hamas during the terrorist group’s deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
Senator Cotton demanded that AG Garland open an investigation into the outlets, and he asked that the news organizations provide answers as to their involvement with Hamas.
In part, Senator Cotton wrote to the news organizations:
“If your employees, as part of their work, participated in terrorist activities or if your organization or employees provided material support (including any funding) to Hamas, the leadership of your organization may also face criminal penalties under federal law.”
Full text of the letter to AG Garland may be found here and below.
Full text of the letters to the news organizations may be found here and below.
November 9, 2023
The Honorable Merrick Garland
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Attorney General Garland,
I write regarding reports that so-called “journalists” employed by the Associated Press, CNN, New York Times, and Reuters accompanied Hamas terrorists into Israel during the October 7 terror attack. These individuals almost certainly knew about the attack in advance, and even participated by accompanying Hamas terrorists during the attack and filming the heinous acts. In at least one case, one of the individuals affiliated with these media outlets even took a selfie while being kissed on the cheek by a Hamas leader who helped mastermind the attack. Providing material support or assistance, including funding, to a terrorist organization such as Hamas is a federal crime. The Department of Justice must immediately open a national security investigation into these four media outlets to determine whether they or their leadership committed federal crimes by supporting Hamas terrorists.
Thank you for your attention to this vital matter of national security.
Sincerely,
_____________________
Tom Cotton
United States Senator
November 9, 2023
A. G. Sulzberger
The New York Times
620 Eighth Ave
New York, NY 10018
Dear Mr. Sulzberger,
I write regarding concerning reports that New York Times employees were involved with Hamas’s October 7 attack, in which terrorists massacred more than a thousand innocent Israelis, including women, children, and the elderly. According to reports, members of your staff were embedded with Hamas, knew about the attack, and not only went along with it but accompanied members of Hamas as they carried out the attack. If your employees, as part of their work, participated in terrorist activities or if your organization or employees provided material support (including any funding) to Hamas, the leadership of your organization may also face criminal penalties under federal law. ?Please provide immediate answers to the following questions:
- How many employees of your organization were embedded with Hamas or otherwise present in Gaza and accompanied Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack? ?
- When did you discover that members of your company were embedded with Hamas? ?
- How many employees of your organization are embedded with Hamas today? ?
- How much funding, in total, has your outlet given to Hamas and its affiliates in Gaza over the past 5 years? Please provide an itemized list.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Tom Cotton
United States Senator
