|
Donald Trump picked Devin Nunes to chair his Intelligence Advisory Board because Nunes’ résumé embodies everything Trump values—loyalty, unencumbered by competence, paired with a willingness to use taxpayer resources for political purposes. In 2018, Nunes spent $57,000 of taxpayer money flying to Europe to investigate baseless claims against Joe Biden for Trump’s political gain, a scandal that ultimately contributed to Trump’s first impeachment. In his private career, Nunes has further demonstrated his allegiance by running Trump’s Truth Social app. However, according to a whistleblower report, Nunes has severely mismanaged the company, putting it in legal jeopardy. Notably, he has shown a tendency to hire inexpensive foreign workers at the expense of American employees, contradicting Trump’s “America First” agenda. Additionally, under Nunes’ leadership, Trump Media Group accepted a bridge loan from a Russian-American businessman with ties to Putin, whose associates and bank have faced federal scrutiny for money laundering. |
2018: Devin Nunes Spent $57,000 In Taxpayer Money Flying To Europe To Investigate Joe Biden. According to Newsweek, "Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican member on the House Intelligence Committee, spent nearly $57,000 on a trip to Europe for him and his staff to allegedly investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, records show. The figures seem to confirm allegations made by Lev Parnas—a Ukrainian-born American who worked as a 'fixer' for Rudy Giuliani before being indicted on criminal charges—who said that he helped Nunes arrange meetings with various Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Biden." [Newsweek, 11/24/19]
2020: Devin Nunes Promoted Conspiracy Theories About Joe Biden’s Ukraine Business Dealings. According to CNN, "When the House was considering impeachment charges against Trump last year, Nunes was among the most visible Republicans defending the President, often repeating conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims about Biden’s dealings in Ukraine and foreign interference in the 2016 US election. CNN has reported that the US intelligence community believes that some of the theories Nunes endorsed, especially that the Ukrainian government meddled in the 2016 election, originated from Russian operatives as part of an orchestrated disinformation campaign." [CNN, 1/16/20]
2024: Whistleblower Complaint Alleged Devin Nunes “Severly” Mismanaged Truth Social And Put Company In Legal Risk. According to ProPublica, "An internal whistleblower complaint at Trump Media calls for CEO Devin Nunes to be fired, alleging he has 'severely' mismanaged the company and opened it to 'substantial risk of legal action' from regulators, according to a copy reviewed by ProPublica." [ProPublica, 10/19/24]
2024: Whistleblower Letter Accuses Devin Nunes Of Hiring Foreign Contractors Instead Of Americans And Members Of His Inner Circle. According to ProPublica, "The letter also says that former President Donald Trump’s company is hiring 'America Last' — alleging that Nunes imposed a directive to hire only foreign contractors at the expense of 'American workers who are deeply committed to our mission.' 'This approach not only contradicts the America First principles we stand for but also raises concerns about the quality, dedication, and alignment of our workforce with our core values,' the letter says. Trump’s promise to 'stop outsourcing' and 'punish' companies that send jobs abroad has been a centerpiece of his political career, including his current campaign for president. [...] The letter also accuses Nunes, a former Republican congressman, of hiring unqualified members of his inner circle and being dishonest with employees at the company, which runs the social media platform Truth Social." [ProPublica, 10/19/24]
October 2024: Truth Social Fired Multiple Employees In What Sources Described As Retaliation After Whisteblower Report On Misconduct By CEO Devin Nunes. According to ProPublica, "Former President Donald Trump’s media company has forced out executives in recent days after internal allegations that its CEO, former Rep. Devin Nunes, is mismanaging the company, according to interviews and records of communications among former employees. Several people involved with Trump Media believe the ousters are retaliation following what they describe as an anonymous 'whistleblower' complaint regarding Nunes that went to the company’s board of directors. The chief operating officer and chief product officer have left the company, along with at least two lower-level staffers, according to interviews, social media posts and communications between former staffers reviewed by ProPublica. The company, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, disclosed the departure of the chief operating officer in a securities filing Thursday afternoon." [ProPublica, 10/3/24]
2021: Trump Media Group, Headed By Devin Nunes, Accepted Emergency Loans From A Russian-American Man Whose Bank And Associates Have Been The Subject Of Criminal Money Laundering Investigations. According to Guardian, "But Trump Media almost did not make it to the merger after regulators opened a securities investigation into the merger in 2021 and caused the company to burn through cash at an extraordinary rate as it waited to get the green light for its stock market debut. The situation led Trump Media to take emergency loans, including from an entity called ES Family Trust, which opened an account with Paxum Bank, a small bank registered on the Caribbean island of Dominica that is best known for providing financial services to the porn industry. Through leaked documents, the Guardian has learned that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for a Russian-American businessman named Anton Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and has been a subject of a years-long joint federal criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into the Trump Media merger." [Guardian, 4/3/24]
Anton Postolnikov Is The Nephew Of A Putin Ally. According to the Guardian, "Postolnikov, the nephew of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has not been charged with a crime. In response to an email to Postolnikov seeking comment, a lawyer in Dominica representing Paxum Bank warned of legal action for reporting the contents of the leaked documents." [Guardian, 4/3/24]
2024: Federal Prosecutors Charged A Close Postolnikov Associate With Money Laundering. According to Guardian, "Last month, federal prosecutors charged Michael Shvartsman, a close associate of Postolnikov, with money laundering in a superseding indictment after previously charging him and two others in July with insider-trading Digital World shares. Shvartsman and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty. At least part of the evidence against Shvartsman came from a confidential informant for the DHS, court filings show: in one March 2023 meeting with the informant and an associate, Shvartsman mentioned a friend who owned a bank in Dominica and made bridge loans to Trump Media. '[Shvartsman] stated that a friend of his owns a bank in the island of Dominica and would be able to provide banking services to Russian and Ukraine Nationals if the [confidential informant] had other clients in need of that service,' the DHS report said. '[Shvartsman’s associate] told the [confidential informant] that he does not think the SEC would be able to go after [Shvartsman] for his part in the investment but mentioned that [Shvartsman] essentially provided ‘bridge financing’ for the firm behind the Truth Social media platform,' it said. The unredacted parts of the DHS report do not specify whether the 'friend' was Postolnikov and what the 'bridge financing' referred to – but the report left open the possibility that Shvartsman also had a role with the trust." [Guardian, 4/3/24]
Devin Nunes Faced Criticism For Prioritizing National Media Over Local Representation. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "Nunes appears focused on parlaying his role as President Trump’s most ardent lapdog into national media stardom, even when doing so conflicts with the 22nd’s interests." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]
2018: Jacques Leslie Noted Devin Nunes' Lack Of Local Engagement. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "local political observers including Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski say he hasn’t held a local town hall for years." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]
2018: Jacques Leslie Highlighted Devin Nunes' Silence On Key Agricultural Issues. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "Nunes hasn’t taken a position on two of ag’s most pressing issues, trade and immigration, apparently because district sentiment — pro-free trade and pro-immigration — runs counter to Trump’s policies." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]
2018: Jacques Leslie Reported On Devin Nunes' Fundraising Efforts. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "His new-found notoriety has swollen his own campaign coffers — as of mid-summer, he had amassed $7.4 million, the most of any California Republican congressman, and three to seven times the amounts he collected in previous campaigns." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]
2018: Jacques Leslie Highlighted Devin Nunes' Criticism Of Local Media. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "He has run television and radio ads denouncing the Fresno Bee and calling it 'a left-wing rag,' an especially shameless charge considering that the Bee endorsed Nunes in every congressional election since 2002." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]
Nunes Used Campaign Funds To Pay For Out-Of-District Luxuries For Himself. According to an opinion by Jacques Leslie, "since 2013, Nunes has used political donations to pay for lavish Las Vegas trips, limousine travel, winery tours and $15,000 worth of tickets to NBA games featuring his favorite team, the far-from-the-22nd-District Boston Celtics." [Jacques Leslie - Los Angeles Times, 8/19/18]