U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, will leave Congress, Politico reported on Monday.
CNBC reported that Nunes, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is leaving to become CEO of Trump's new social media company. The company confirmed to CNN that Nunez will be joining the company in January.
"Recently, I was presented with a new opportunity to fight for the most important issues I believe in," Nunes said in an email to his constituents. "I’m writing to let you know I’ve decided to pursue this opportunity, and therefore I will be leaving the House of Representatives at the end of 2021."
The independent commission that is redrawing California's congressional map is still working on new district borders, but an early draft of the map shows Nunes' district weighted toward Democrats, according to Politico, which could hurt his chances at reelection.
California, however, does not require members of Congress to live in the districts they represent, and observers had predicted Nunes would likely run in a different, more Republican-friendly district, if the new map put him in a majority Democratic district.
Nunes was first elected in 2002 and became chair of the committee in 2015. He recused himself during an inquiry into Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election while the House Ethics Committee looked at how his committee handled the investigation.
With Republicans poised to likely retake the House in November, Nunes will be giving up the chance to regain the powerful chairmanship, though his starting paycheck with Trump's venture is likely to be far higher, CNN reported.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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