Trump Taps Truth Social CEO to Lead Intelligence Advisory Board

AFP/APP

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named loyalist Devin Nunes, who heads his social media platform Truth Social, to serve as chairman of a White House intelligence advisory board.

Nunes, a Republican ex-congressman from California, led the US House Intelligence Committee during the start of Trump’s first presidential term. He has accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of abusing its powers to spy on a Trump election campaign official with extensive Russian contacts.

Trump announced in a post that Nunes will continue as the chief executive of Truth Social while also leading the advisory panel.

In 2018, as chair of the intelligence committee, Nunes released a controversial memo alleging that the FBI conspired against Trump during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

“Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities,” Trump said in a statement.

The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), created in the mid-20th century, provides an independent source of advice on the intelligence community’s effectiveness and its data acquisition methods. Trump described the board as being composed of “distinguished citizens from outside of the Federal Government.”

Later on Saturday, Trump appointed another outspoken loyalist, Richard Grenell, as a presidential envoy for special missions.

“Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.

These appointments come two weeks after Trump, set to be sworn in as president on January 20, nominated loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director, replacing current director Christopher Wray.

Patel, who Nunes said assisted with the 2018 memo, is a former Pentagon official and advisor to both Nunes and Grenell. He is known for his strong views on the government “deep state.”