Streamer Banned Over Comments About US Senator
Hasan Piker, the controversial Twitch streamer known for making inflammatory remarks, is once again making headlines—this time for openly saying that if someone truly cared about Medicaid fraud, they would “kill Rick Scott.”
Piker made the statement during a stream while reacting to Speaker Mike Johnson discussing efforts to root out Medicaid waste and fraud. Piker argued that fraud within the system primarily comes from providers, not individuals, and pointed to Rick Scott’s past as an example.
Scott, now a U.S. Senator from Florida, was previously the CEO of Columbia/HCA from 1987 to 1997, during which the company was involved in one of the largest Medicare fraud cases in history. Columbia/HCA ultimately paid $1.7 billion in fines for defrauding the government, though Scott himself was never charged with a crime. He has consistently maintained that he was unaware of the fraudulent activity and placed the blame on subordinates.
Hasan Piker regularly does live streams with AOC.
Will a congressional ethics committee investigation into their relationship be opened? https://t.co/fbMf2JVk7U
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 3, 2025
But Piker didn’t stop at pointing out Scott’s history—he outright said that if people truly cared about Medicaid fraud, they would “kill Rick Scott.” He struggled to remember Scott’s current political position, pausing to look it up mid-rant before reaffirming his statement that Scott should be killed for his past at Columbia/HCA.
The fact that this happened on February 27, and Twitch has yet to take action, speaks volumes about how the platform enforces its rules. Twitch, owned by Amazon, has strict terms of service against violent threats or incitement, yet Piker appears to operate with impunity.
This is not the first time he has made outrageous statements—he previously said “America deserved 9/11” and dismissed reports of Israeli women being raped during the October 7 Hamas attacks, saying it “doesn’t matter” in the larger context of the conflict.
Hasan Piker says someone should k**l Rick Scott if they care about Medicaid fraud. He said this on Thursday and Twitch as done nothing despite it breaking TOS. pic.twitter.com/brMjQQUEIJ
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) March 3, 2025
Twitch’s selective enforcement of its rules is nothing new. The platform has repeatedly been accused of applying its policies based on who is speaking rather than what is being said. If another streamer had made similar statements about a politician from the opposite side of the aisle, it’s hard to imagine Twitch wouldn’t have acted immediately.
The real question is whether this kind of rhetoric will have real-world consequences. Piker’s increasingly extreme statements raise concerns about whether someone could take his words literally and act upon them. While Twitch remains silent, it remains to be seen if Amazon executives are even paying attention to what’s happening on their platform. The lack of accountability raises serious concerns, especially considering that a significant portion of younger audiences get their political opinions from streamers like Piker.