Senator Tom Cotton Calls for Federal Probe into Major News Outlets Over Alleged Hamas Ties

Accusations Based on Unverified Reports; News Outlets Deny Prior Knowledge of Hamas Attack and Reject Claims of Embedding with the Group

Senator Tom Cotton has called for a federal investigation into major news outlets including The New York Times, CNN, the Associated Press, and Reuters over allegations of their staff being embedded with Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel.
The accusations are based on unverified reports from the nonprofit Honest Reporting, which suggested that Gaza-based photojournalists were present during the attack. However, the group later accepted the news outlets' denials of having prior knowledge of the attack.
In response to the allegations, CNN and the Associated Press have severed ties with photo freelancer Hassan Eslaiah, who was photographed with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The New York Times has strongly denied the allegations, accusing Senator Cotton of spreading disinformation. The newspaper stated that no employee was embedded with Hamas, had advance knowledge of the attack, or played any role in the massacre.
Despite the denials from the news outlets, Senator Cotton has written to the US Department of Justice, warning that providing material support or assistance to a terrorist organization such as Hamas is a federal crime.