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Jan. 4 (UPI) — Rep. Devin Nunes has formally resigned from Congress in order to head former President Donald Trump‘s new media company.
Nunes’ resignation letter was read by a clerk from the House floor on Monday, who said the Republican House representative for the 22nd congressional district has notified California Gov. Gavin Newsom of his stepping down, effective 11:59 p.m.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent the people of California’s San Joaquin Valley for the last 19 years. Please let me know how I can be of help during this transition,” the clerk read from Nunes’ letter.
With his resignation, the number of House representatives drops to 433, said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who presided over the pro forma session.
Nunes had announced last month his intention to step down at year’s end to become the chief executive of Trump Media & Technology Group, which the former president unveiled in mid-October with the mission “to create a rival to liberal media consortium and fight back against the ‘Big Tech.'”
At the time of announcing his resignation, Nunes, who had represented California’s 22nd district since 2003, said in a statement that he was “humbled and honored” by Trump’s ask for him to head the company.
“The time has come to re-open the Internet and allow for the free flow of ideas and expression without censorship,” Nunes said. “The United States of America made the dream of the Internet a reality and it will be an American company that restores the dream.”
Trump has been a staunch critic of social media and he unveiled his new company in the wake of being banned from most major platforms, including Twitter, which he was a fervent user of, over the risk of inciting further violence following the Jan. 6 attack of the Capitol building by his supporters.
TMTG plans to launch TRUTH Social as well as a subscription-based video-on-demand service that will feature “non-woke” entertainment programing as well as news and podcasts.
In response to Nunes’ resignation, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said he has appointed Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, to take over his position as the ranking member of the House permanent select committee on intelligence.
“The House intelligence committee’s work is critical to our national security and this opportunity will further allow me to work closely with Wright-Patt [Air Force Base] to address our nation’s security challenges,” Turner said in a statement Monday. “As the ranking member, I am committed to supporting the men and women in the intelligence community and I would like to thank leader McCarthy for his confidence.”
