Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will resign from the U.S. House of Representatives to become Chief Executive Officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).
Nunes, a 10-term Republican Congressman and former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, will leave office on Jan. 1, 2022 before joining Trump’s new media company.
“Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader. He will make an excellent CEO of TMTG,” President Trump said in a TMTG statement. “Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great. America is ready for TRUTH Social and the end to censorship and political discrimination.”
Trump announced in October that TMTG is launching “TRUTH Social,” a free speech social media platform, in order to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech.” The platform is reportedly scheduled to launch nationwide in March 2022.
“The time has come to reopen the Internet and allow for the free flow of ideas and expression without censorship,” Nunes added. “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.”
Nunes was tapped by Trump to lead his media venture just days after TMTG announced a $1 billion investment in the company.
Nunes, a former dairy farmer and trustee of the College of the Sequoias, was first elected to Congress in 2002. Most notably in his career, he has battled environmental lobbies and fought to deliver water to his district amid the California water crisis. He was also a member of then President-elect Trump’s 2016 transition team, and has launched investigations into the FBI and Justice Department for allegedly abusing their power in alleged political investigations into Trump.
The congressman’s decision to retire also comes amid California’s Democrat-favored new redistricting draft. Nunes’ district will be relocated from a Republican-leaning district to a Democrat-leaning district, according to the draft. Final drafts of California’s redrawn congressional districts are due at the end of January.
After his departure from Congress, California will hold a special election to fill his seat’s vacancy under the current congressional district lines. The state will later hold another election under the new district lines in November 2022.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., is required to declare a special election no later than January 2022, and a special election must take place between 126 and 140 days of his declaration.
