On Saturday, US President-elect Donald Trump named loyalist Devin Nunes, who is also the head of the social media platform Truth Social, as the chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Nunes, a Republican ex-congressman from California, led the US House Intelligence Committee during the beginning of Trump’s first term as the president of the United States.
In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump said that Nunes’ previous stint as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee as well as his central role in exposing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the US, were considered key qualifications for the role.
Trump’s post on Truth Social reads, “I am pleased to announce that I will appoint Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as Chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which consists of distinguished citizens from outside of the Federal Government.”
Who is Devin Nunes?
Devin Nunes, who was born on October 1, 1973, in Tulare, California, has a family of Portuguese descent. He emigrated from the Azores to California. Graduating from Tulare Union High School, Nunes was the second Member of Congress to attend Tulare Union, after Olympic gold medalist Bob Mathias, who had served in the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975.
Former President George W. Bush appointed Nunes as the California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development section in 2001.
How does the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board function?
Along with its component Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB), the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) assists the President by providing him with an independent source of advice regarding the effectiveness with which the Intelligence Community is catering to the nation’s intelligence needs and the vigour and insight with which the community plans for the future.
The Board has access to all information needed to perform its functions and has direct access to the President. Notably, the PIAB is an independent element within the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
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(With inputs from agency)