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By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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Left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker took aim at Ted Cruz on Wednesday after the Republican senator shared allegations similar to the ones that led to conservative commentator Scott Jennings getting sued by the streamer for $72.5 million.
“Hey ted you seen this?” Piker wrote on X, sharing a news report about his lawsuit against Jennings.
Cruz had posted that Piker was “calling for Black people to be lynched,” sharing a clip and a link to footage that Piker alleges was edited to strip his remarks of their original context. It appears to be the same or very similar footage to the video of Piker that featured on the August 11 episode of The Scott Jennings Show. Newsweek has reached out to Jennings, Cruz and Piker for comment.
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The filing comes as prominent political figures on both sides of the aisle increasingly turn to the courts to challenge statements they say have damaged their reputations.
Why Did Hasan Piker Sue Scott Jennings?
Piker's complaint, filed in a federal court in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, alleges that Jennings combined footage from three different livestreams, rearranged Piker's comments, and removed the YouTube debate that the streamer had been responding to, in order to remove the context of his remarks and falsely suggest he was advocating racial violence.
Jennings falsely told listeners that the streamer had a “plan of returning our country to lynchings,” while airing the edited video of Piker, according to the filing. Piker argued in his lawsuit that he had been reacting sarcastically to a Black conservative commentator in the debate who blamed “woke DAs” for policies harming Black Americans.
The left-wing commentator is seeking $27.5 million in compensatory damages and $45 million in punitive damages from Jennings.
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“You have to remember, this is not just about Scott Jennings, although he certainly messed up,” Piker said about the lawsuit. “This is about truth in the media.”
President Donald Trump has made litigation against media organizations a prominent feature of his political career, filing lawsuits over coverage and commentary he says have misrepresented him. Trump's legal strategy extended beyond news organizations to political adversaries. In 2022, Trump sued Hillary Clinton and others over what he alleged was a conspiracy to undermine his presidential campaign. A federal judge dismissed the case and later ordered Trump and his attorney to pay nearly $1 million in sanctions.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has brought a separate multimillion-dollar defamation suit against Fox News.
Cruz and Piker's Escalating Feud
Cruz and Piker have clashed publicly in recent weeks.
In September, Piker accused the Texas senator and other Republican officials of trying to prevent him from speaking at the University of Texas at Austin, framing their opposition to the event as a threat to his First Amendment rights.
Cruz had called Piker an “America-hating Marxist” and accused him of celebrating political violence against Republicans.
Cruz continued his criticism of Piker at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 10, invoking the streamer's past comments about the September 11 attacks while attacking Democrats associated with him. “When Hasan Piker says America deserved 9/11, believe him,” Cruz said. He later questioned why Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed had not disavowed Piker.
Cruz's remarks refer to comments Piker made during a livestream in August 2019, while responding to an interview in which Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw discussed the September 11 attacks and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Piker said, “America deserved 9/11, dude,” prompting widespread criticism. Piker subsequently walked back the remark, calling it inappropriate and saying he had expressed himself poorly. He argued that U.S. military interventions and support for armed groups in the region had contributed to the conditions that led to the attacks, describing the relationship as a “boomerang effect.”
Trump’s History of High-Profile Defamation Lawsuits
Trump has repeatedly used lawsuits to challenge media organizations and, at times, political opponents over claims he says have damaged his reputation or undermined his political standing. Several cases have sought billions of dollars in damages, including disputes over television editing and reporting about his conduct.
In December 2025, Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion over a documentary that edited excerpts of his January 6, 2021, speech. His complaint alleged that the editing misleadingly combined separate portions of the speech, creating the impression that he directly encouraged violence while omitting remarks about peaceful protest. The BBC apologized for the editing but denied that it defamed Trump and has said it will defend the case. The litigation remains ongoing, with a federal judge ordering Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11.
Trump also sued ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos in March 2024 after the anchor repeatedly said on air that Trump had been found liable for rape in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll.
A jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, rather than rape under the narrow definition applied by the jury. ABC settled the lawsuit in December 2024, agreeing to contribute $15 million toward Trump’s future presidential library and pay $1 million in legal fees. The network also published an editor’s note expressing regret.
In another case, Trump sued CBS News over its editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. Trump alleged that the editing deceptively presented Harris’ answers in a way that benefited her campaign. He initially sought $10 billion, later increasing the demand to $20 billion.
CBS parent company Paramount Global agreed in July 2025 to pay $16 million to settle the case, with the money allocated to Trump’s future presidential library and legal fees. The settlement did not include an apology, and Paramount maintained that the lawsuit lacked merit.
Gavin Newsom’s Lawsuit Against Fox News
In June 2025, Newsom sued Fox News for $787 million, alleging that the network and host Jesse Watters misrepresented a phone conversation between Newsom and Trump and had falsely accused the California governor of lying about it.
The dispute followed public disagreement over when the two politicians had spoken during a period of unrest in Los Angeles. Newsom alleged that Fox’s coverage distorted the timeline and damaged his reputation.
Fox denied the allegations and sought to have the case dismissed. A Delaware judge rejected that effort in April 2026, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The Delaware Supreme Court declined to consider an early appeal in August, and a trial was scheduled for March 2028.
The case remains ongoing.
Other Recent Defamation Cases Involving Democrats
Other cases involving Democratic politicians illustrate how defamation disputes can emerge from political campaigns, social media and internal party conflicts.
Virginia Democratic state Delegate Dan Helmer filed a $15 million defamation lawsuit in 2025 against fellow Democrats and a lawyer after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced shortly before a congressional primary he ultimately lost. Helmer denied the allegations and claimed they were politically motivated. The case was settled with all parties by January 2026, but the terms were confidential.
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In Arkansas, former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Christopher Jones sued Republican state Sen. Bart Hester in May 2024 after Hester accused him on social media of taking a “Pro Hamas Terrorist position” in response to Jones’s comments about student protests over the war in Gaza.
Jones argued that Hester had falsely conflated support for protesters with support for Hamas. Hester defended his comments as political speech. Jones voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in May 2025.
What Happens Next?
While it's unclear if Piker will pursue legal action against Cruz, Piker’s lawsuit against Jennings is in its early stages. The streamer alleges that Jennings' portrayal of Piker harmed his reputation, caused emotional distress and threatened his professional interests. He is pursuing claims including defamation, defamation by implication and false light.
Jennings will have an opportunity to respond and could seek to have the case dismissed. The parties could also reach a settlement before trial.
If it proceeds, the legal battle is likely to focus on whether Jennings’ portrayal of Piker’s remarks constituted defamation. Under the standard established by the Supreme Court in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, public officials must generally prove that a defamatory falsehood was published with “actual malice”—meaning knowledge that it was false or reckless disregard for whether it was false. The standard also applies to public figures under related Supreme Court decisions.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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