Representative Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) has announced that he will retire from Congress at the end of this year in order to be CEO of former President Trump’s new media company.
“Recently, I was presented with a new opportunity to fight for the most important issues I believe in,” Nunes wrote in a letter to constituents on Monday. “I’m writing to let you know I’ve decided to pursue this opportunity, and therefore I will be leaving the House of Representatives at the end of 2021.”
NEW: Rep. Devin Nunes letter to his constituents announcing his retirement from Congress.
Of note- this email says he will retire at the end of this year, not wait until his term ends in 2022.
@JakeSherman reported his retirement first. pic.twitter.com/HgSS5yDqFh— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) December 6, 2021
Shortly following Nunes’s announcement, Trump Media and Technology Group revealed that the congressman would become CEO of the company. Former President Trump announced the launch of the company in October, following Twitter and Facebook bans on Trump’s posts, implemented in the wake of the Capitol protests on January 6.
“Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader,” Trump said in a press release on TMTG’s website. “Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great.”
“The time has come to reopen the Internet and allow for the free flow of ideas and expression without censorship,” Nunes said in the same press release. “The United States of America made the dream of the Internet a reality and it will be an American company that restores the dream. I’m humbled and honored President Trump has asked me to lead the mission and the world class team that will deliver on this promise.”
The announcement comes after a draft redistricting map by an independent commission showed that Nunes’s district would be more competitive going into the 2022 midterms.
Nunes was thought to be a contender for the top Republican spot on the House Ways and Means Committee, of which he is currently a member. Nunes is the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and was a staunch ally of Trump while serving on the committee during his administration.