FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2026
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
Peace Activists Deliver Petitions to CNN HQs in Four Cities, Demand Network Put Pete Hegseth in the Hot Seat for War Crimes
CODEPINK’s “Arrest Hegseth” campaign targets CNN to demand answers on the deadly Minab school bombing
MULTIPLE CITIES – Peace activists with CODEPINK delivered petitions to local CNN headquarters in four major cities this past week, calling on the network to put Secretary Pete Hegseth in the hot seat and force him to answer for alleged war crimes. Deliveries took place at CNN offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as part of CODEPINK’s escalating “Arrest Hegseth” campaign, which seeks to expose Hegseth as a war criminal.
The campaign focuses on Hegseth’s oversight of a U.S. military strike that bombed a school in Minab, Iran, killing nearly 200 children, most of them young girls. In response, members of Congress submitted a formal list of questions to Hegseth, including how the school was selected as a target, whether any efforts were made to limit civilian harm, and what role artificial intelligence played in the decision. A deadline of March 20, 2026, was set for his response. That deadline passed without any reply.
“If the targeting of the school was an accident, why refuse to answer these questions?” CODEPINK asked in a statement. The group is now calling on the media to question Hegseth directly, live, on national television, and is holding outlets accountable for failing to press him.
CNN was chosen as the campaign’s first media target because of its past willingness to address war crimes. In the days following the bombing, CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked a U.S. senator whether the action constituted a war crime. Since then, however, activists say the network has not gone far enough.
The petition delivered to CNN reads in part:
To the Journalists, Writers, and Anchors at CNN: We, the undersigned, ask that you publicly invite Secretary Pete Hegseth onto your program to demand answers about the Minab school bombing… Congress requested answers from the Department of War, but its questions were ignored. Since Secretary Hegseth is refusing to answer to Congress, we believe it is the role of the media to step up.”
The petition notes that major outlets have failed to press the Trump administration, and that CBS hosted Hegseth at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner even after he barred outlets like CNN and The New York Times from the Pentagon press room in October 2025. A federal judge recently ruled those restrictions unconstitutional, restoring CNN’s access.
“Now that CNN has regained access to the Pentagon, it is important that your outlet publicly seek answers to these questions on behalf of your viewers, as well as those seeking accountability and justice,” the petition states.
Activists are demanding that CNN put Hegseth in the hot seat, either on air or at the Pentagon, to answer the questions he ignored from Congress, including:
- Why was the decision made to carry out strikes on the Minab girls’ school?
- What role, if any, did artificial intelligence (including Maven Smart System, Claude, or OpenAI) play in selecting the target?
- What steps are being taken to prevent and mitigate civilian harm during Operation Epic Fury?
- Why shouldn’t Hegseth be arrested for war crimes?
CODEPINK is urging the public to join its campaign to arrest Hegseth. Supporters can sign up to receive updates on petitions, protests, call-in campaigns, social media actions, and future deliveries. For more information, please contact Danaka at [email protected].
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