Devin Nunes

Devin Nunes
Born	Devin Gerald Nunes 10/1/1973
Birthplace	Tulare, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, politician, media executive
Known for	Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, Nunes memo
Education	California Polytechnic State University (BS, MS)
Children	3
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2021), Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry (2013), Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania (2017)

Devin Gerald Nunes (born October 1, 1973) is an American businessman, politician, and media executive who has served as the Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board since January 20, 2025, and as chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of the social media platform Truth Social. A member of the Republican Party, Nunes represented California in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2022, first in the state's 21st congressional district and then, following redistricting, in the 22nd congressional district. His former district encompassed much of the San Joaquin Valley, including most of western Tulare County and significant portions of eastern Fresno County. During his time in Congress, Nunes served as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2015 to 2019, a period during which he became a prominent figure in national political debates over intelligence surveillance and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. In January 2021, Donald Trump awarded Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Nunes resigned from Congress effective January 1, 2022, to assume the role of CEO at Trump Media & Technology Group. In December 2025, Trump Media announced a $6 billion merger with TAE Technologies, a nuclear fusion energy company, with Nunes designated as co-CEO of the combined entity.

Early Life

Devin Gerald Nunes was born on October 1, 1973, in Tulare, California, a city in the agricultural heartland of California's San Joaquin Valley. He grew up in a farming family of Portuguese descent with deep roots in the region's dairy and agricultural industries. The Nunes family operated a dairy farm, and Devin Nunes was involved in the family's farming operations from a young age, an experience that shaped his later political focus on agricultural policy and water issues affecting the Central Valley.

Nunes's Portuguese heritage remained an important element of his identity throughout his career. His family's connections to Portugal were later recognized when the Portuguese government awarded him the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry in 2013, an honor bestowed on individuals who have contributed to Portuguese culture and international relations. Nunes has maintained ties to the Portuguese-American community in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the largest concentrations of Americans of Portuguese descent in the United States.

Growing up in the agricultural environment of Tulare County provided Nunes with firsthand knowledge of the water supply challenges that have long affected California's Central Valley. The region's dependence on irrigation for its vast agricultural output made water policy a perennial concern for its residents and elected officials, and this issue became a central theme of Nunes's later political career.

Education

Nunes began his post-secondary education at the College of the Sequoias, a community college in Visalia, California, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree. He subsequently transferred to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business. Nunes continued his education at the same institution, completing a Master of Science degree in agriculture. His academic background in agricultural business and agriculture provided a foundation for his work on farming and water policy during his time in Congress.

Career

Early Political Career

Nunes entered politics at a relatively young age. Before his election to Congress, he served on the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees, gaining experience in local governance. He also became involved in Republican Party politics in the San Joaquin Valley, building a base of support among the region's agricultural community and conservative voters.

In 2001, George W. Bush appointed Nunes as California state director for the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development section, a position that gave him experience in federal agricultural policy and further raised his profile in the region.

U.S. House of Representatives

Election to Congress

In 2002, at the age of 29, Nunes ran for the newly created 21st congressional district of California, a predominantly agricultural district in the San Joaquin Valley. He won the Republican primary and the general election, becoming one of the youngest members of the 108th Congress when he took office in January 2003. He was subsequently reelected in 2004, 2006, and in every subsequent cycle through 2020. Following redistricting after the 2010 census, his district was renumbered as the 22nd congressional district beginning in 2013.

Legislative Work and Water Policy

Throughout his tenure in Congress, Nunes was a prominent advocate for water policy favorable to the agricultural interests of California's Central Valley. The region's farmers depend heavily on federal and state water infrastructure to irrigate crops, and disputes over water allocation between agricultural users, urban areas, and environmental conservation have been a longstanding political issue in California.

Nunes introduced and supported multiple pieces of legislation aimed at increasing water deliveries to Central Valley farmers. He was critical of environmental regulations that he argued restricted water pumping from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, which he contended harmed the agricultural economy of his district. In 2014, during a severe drought in California, water policy became an even more contentious issue. Barack Obama visited the region to announce drought aid, and Nunes was among the Republican representatives who pressed for legislative action to increase water supplies to the valley.

Nunes also supported efforts to redirect funds from California's high-speed rail project to improve Highway 99, a major north-south corridor through the San Joaquin Valley, working alongside fellow Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy on the proposal.

Nunes's legislative record also included work on tax policy and trade issues. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most influential committees in the House. In 2015, at the request of incoming Speaker Paul Ryan, Nunes chose not to seek the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee and instead remained as chair of the Intelligence Committee.

Chair of the House Intelligence Committee

Nunes became chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in January 2015, succeeding Mike Rogers. The chairmanship placed Nunes at the center of some of the most consequential political controversies of the Trump era.

In March 2017, the House Intelligence Committee under Nunes's leadership launched an investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. The investigation soon became a source of partisan conflict. In late March 2017, Nunes announced that he had received information suggesting that members of Donald Trump's transition team had been incidentally surveilled by U.S. intelligence agencies, a claim that generated significant media attention and political debate. Nunes visited the White House grounds to review classified materials before publicly discussing his findings, a move that drew criticism from Democratic members of the committee and others who argued that it compromised the independence of the investigation.

Nunes temporarily stepped aside from leading the Russia investigation in April 2017 amid an ethics inquiry, though he remained committee chair. The House Ethics Committee later cleared him of wrongdoing.

In February 2018, Nunes authorized the public release of a four-page memorandum—commonly referred to as the "Nunes memo"—that alleged the Federal Bureau of Investigation had committed malfeasance in obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant applications to surveil Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. The memo contended that the FBI had relied in part on research compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, funded by the Democratic National Committee and the campaign of Hillary Clinton, without adequately disclosing this funding to the FISA court. The memo's release was opposed by the FBI, which expressed "grave concerns about material omissions of fact" in the document. Democrats on the committee subsequently released their own counter-memo disputing Nunes's conclusions.

The Nunes memo became a focal point in the broader political debate over the FBI's conduct during the 2016 election investigations. Nunes subsequently pursued further investigations into the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging that those agencies had abused their surveillance powers in their inquiries into Trump associates.

He also served as a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team following the 2016 election.

When Democrats gained control of the House after the 2018 midterm elections, Adam Schiff succeeded Nunes as committee chair in January 2019. Nunes continued to serve as the committee's ranking minority member until his resignation from Congress at the end of 2021.

Trump Travel Ban

In January 2017, following President Trump's executive order restricting travel from several majority-Muslim countries, Nunes was among the Republican members of Congress who expressed views on the policy. The executive order generated significant legal challenges and political debate.

CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group

In December 2021, Nunes announced that he would resign from Congress to become the chief executive officer of Trump Media & Technology Group, the media and technology company founded by Donald Trump. His resignation from Congress took effect on January 1, 2022, and he assumed the CEO role shortly thereafter.

Trump Media & Technology Group is the parent company of Truth Social, a social media platform launched in 2022 as an alternative to mainstream social media platforms. Under Nunes's leadership, the company pursued a public listing, ultimately merging with a special purpose acquisition company to trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol DJT.

Nunes's compensation as CEO attracted media attention. In 2025, Forbes reported that Trump Media awarded Nunes $5.9 million in stock despite the firm reporting a $20 million quarterly loss, as the company expanded into new products including cryptocurrency-related services. A separate report by GV Wire noted that Nunes's total compensation of $47.6 million was approximately thirteen times Trump Media's revenue during the period in question.

In December 2025, Trump Media announced a $6 billion merger with TAE Technologies, a nuclear fusion energy company backed by investors including Google. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Nunes was designated to serve as co-CEO of the combined entity.

Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board

On January 20, 2025, Nunes was appointed as Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) by President Donald Trump, succeeding James A. Winnefeld Jr. in the role. The PIAB is a panel within the Executive Office of the President that provides independent oversight of the U.S. intelligence community and advises the president on intelligence matters. Nunes holds this position concurrently with his role as CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group.

Defamation Lawsuits

During his career, Nunes filed multiple defamation lawsuits against media organizations and individuals. In 2021, while still a member of Congress, Nunes filed a defamation suit against MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. In August 2025, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.

Winery

Outside of politics and business, Nunes has connections to the wine industry. The Nunes family is associated with a winery that produces wines from Portuguese grape varieties grown in the Paso Robles region of California. A 2025 review in The Spectator described the winery's most distinctive offerings as blends of Portuguese grapes grown in the Paso Robles hills and surrounding valleys.

Personal Life

Nunes was born and raised in Tulare, California. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children. The Nunes family has roots in the dairy farming community of the San Joaquin Valley, and Nunes has spoken publicly about his family's agricultural heritage. His Portuguese ancestry has been a notable aspect of his public identity, and he has maintained ties with the Portuguese-American community throughout his career.

Recognition

In January 2021, President Donald Trump awarded Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. The award recognized Nunes's work on the House Intelligence Committee and his investigations into alleged surveillance abuses by federal agencies.

In 2013, Nunes was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry by the government of Portugal, an honor recognizing contributions to Portuguese culture, history, and international relations.

In 2017, Nunes was awarded the rank of Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania by the Romanian government, recognizing his contributions to Romanian-American relations.

Legacy

Nunes's career spans the intersection of agricultural politics, intelligence oversight, and media technology. His tenure as chair of the House Intelligence Committee placed him at the center of some of the most contentious political episodes of the late 2010s, particularly the investigations surrounding Russian interference in the 2016 election and the surveillance of Trump campaign associates. The Nunes memo, released in February 2018, became a significant document in the political debate over the conduct of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, drawing both praise from those who viewed it as exposing government overreach and criticism from those who argued it selectively presented information to undermine the Russia investigation.

His departure from Congress to lead Trump Media & Technology Group marked an unusual career transition from elected office to corporate leadership of a media company closely associated with a former and future president. As CEO, Nunes oversaw the launch and development of Truth Social during a period of intense debate over content moderation, free speech, and the role of social media platforms in American political life. The proposed merger with TAE Technologies in December 2025 signaled an expansion of Trump Media's business interests beyond social media into the energy sector.

Nunes's dual role as CEO of Trump Media and Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board beginning in January 2025 represented a convergence of media, business, and intelligence policy interests that reflected both his political background and his post-congressional career trajectory.

In the San Joaquin Valley, Nunes is remembered as a representative who focused on water and agricultural issues central to the region's economy. His nearly two decades in Congress coincided with ongoing disputes over California water allocation that remain unresolved.