House Republican Rep. Devin Nunes to resign
Fox News has confirmed that Nunes plans to retire
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Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will resign from Congress at the end of the year.
Fox News has confirmed that Nunes plans to leave, with a source saying the lawmaker "got a job offer that he can’t refuse" as CEO of a newly established Trump media organization.
"Trump Media & Technology Group today announced that Congressman Devin G. Nunes has been selected to join the Company as Chief Executive Officer," the organization said in a statement. "Mr. Nunes will be leaving the U.S. House of Representatives and will begin his new role as Chief Executive Officer of TMTG in January 2022."
Donald Trump, Chairman of TMTG, commented in the statement: "Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader. He will make an excellent CEO of TMTG. Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great."
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NUNES CALLS FOR NEW CRIMINAL REFERRAL OVER PETER STRZOK TEXTS
Nunes became one of the most outspoken defenders of former President Donald Trump, being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump just two weeks before the inauguration of President Biden.
Trump praised Nunes' "courageous actions" in being a vocal critic of special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, crediting him with helping "thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president."
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"Devin’s efforts led to the firing, demotion, or resignation of over a dozen FBI and DOJ employees," the White House said in a statement at the time. "He also forced the disclosure of documents that proved that a corrupt senior FBI official pursued a vindictive persecution of General Michael Flynn — even after rank and file FBI agents found no evidence of wrongdoing."
The veteran lawmaker in 2018 released the "Nunes Memo," which alleged federal surveillance abuses by the Obama administration's Department of Justice.
"He had the fortitude to take on the media, the FBI, the Intelligence Community, the Democrat Party, foreign spies, and the full power of the Deep State," the White House statement said.
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Nunes will next be at the head of Trump's yet-to-released social media platform, TRUTH Social.
Trump announced the launch of the social media platform in October, which is slated for full release in 2022.
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"I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech. We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable," Trump said in a press release at the time.
"I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I'm excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech. Everyone asks me why doesn’t someone stand up to Big Tech? Well, we will be soon!" he added.
Nunes was first elected to represent California's 22nd congressional district in 2003. He served as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019 and remains the top Republican on the committee.
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The California lawmaker would have been next in line to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after the retirement of Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas., if the GOP were to regain control of the House after the midterm elections.
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.