Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
And the Award for Best Trump Defender Goes to ... Devin Nunes
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 6 years ago on
September 26, 2019

Share

Should Rep. Devin Nunes ever exit politics, he might consider Hollywood — stage right.
When it comes to defending President Donald Trump,  a nearly round-the-clock task, the Tulare congressman airs his disgust with Democrats far better than, for example, Rudy Giuliani, who is best kept locked in the basement.

Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
Bill McEwen
Opinion
Nunes is the master of sound bites that Fox News and other conservative websites wolf down like diabetics left alone with Hershey’s Kisses. These same sound bites have another purpose: spiking the blood pressure of Democrats to urgent-care levels.

Nunes’ Greatest Hits Then and Now

Thursday morning, Nunes delivered some of his greatest hits from the past and coined a couple of new ones as the ranking member of the House Intelligence Intelligence Committee.
(I swear, every time a television camera focuses on Nunes sticking up for Trump, I hear Carly Simon singing “Nobody Does It Better” in the background.)
The committee, chaired by Democrat Adam Schiff of Burbank, examined how Joseph Maguire, the acting director of National Intelligence, handled a whistle-blower’s allegation about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
Voice perfectly modulated, Nunes wove his conspiracy theories without falling off his chair and disappearing into a rabbit hole.

Nunes: Dems Sought ‘Nude Pictures of Trump’

From the start, Nunes made it clear that from his vantage point the whole shebang was much ado about nothing.
“They don’t want answers. They want a public spectacle,” Nunes said of Democrats. “And so we have been treated an unending parade of press releases, press conferences, and fake news stories.”

“If the whistle-blower operation doesn’t work out, the Democrats and their media assets can always drum up something else.” — Rep. Devin Nunes
Nunes also cited golden oldies like “the Russian collusion hoax” and “Fusion GPS.” Sure to rocket up the charts: Thursday’s allegation that some Democrats on the intelligence committee pursued “nude pictures of Trump” by negotiating with people “they thought were Ukrainians.”
Nunes might want to drop that line from his next TV appearance.
The mere thought of Trump naked is a guaranteed channel-changer for everyone. Even Republicans — with the possible exceptions of Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.
Specifically addressing the whistle-blower’s complaint that accused Trump of soliciting help from the Ukraine government for his reelection bid, Nunes said: “If the whistle-blower operation doesn’t work out, the Democrats and their media assets can always drum up something else.”
Before questioning Maguire, a smiling Nunes told him, “You’re going to be part of a charade of legal word games. (Democrats are) going to try to get you to say something that can be repeated by the media.”

Some Republicans Stray From Nunes’ Lead

But, unlike Nunes, two Republicans on the intelligence panel, didn’t offer knee-jerk defenses of Trump.
Referencing a transcript of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s leader, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said, “Concerning that conversation, I want to say to the president, this is not OK. That conversation is not OK.”
Tweeted Texas Rep. Will Hurd before the hearing: “There is a lot in the whistleblower complaint that is concerning. We need to fully investigate all of the allegations addressed in the letter, and the first step is to talk to the whistleblower.”
Last year, Trump suggested that Nunes should receive the Medal of Freedom for “what he has gone through and his bravery” in pushing back against the Russia investigation.
Medal of Freedom?
No.
An Emmy maybe.

Watch: Nunes Queries Acting Intelligence Director

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

DON'T MISS

Trump Denies Posting Image of Himself as Pope, Laughs Off Critics

DON'T MISS

Old Merced Sun-Star Newspaper Building Reduced to Rubble

DON'T MISS

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

DON'T MISS

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

DON'T MISS

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Rejects Trump Bid to Revoke 400,000 Migrants’ Legal Status

DON'T MISS

Trump Orders the Reopening of Alcatraz Prison

UP NEXT

Six Deadly Minutes: How Israeli Soldiers Killed 15 Rescue Workers in Gaza

UP NEXT

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, but Will AI Make California More Efficient?

UP NEXT

Hundreds Rally in Fresno for Immigrant Rights

UP NEXT

Israel’s Gaza Aid Blockade Contested in World Court Hearings

UP NEXT

Fresno Shooting Sends 12 Shots Into Neighborhood, Two Injured

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday — FUSD Facing Four Lawsuits Including Nepotism and Incompetence

UP NEXT

I Can’t Believe Anyone Thinks Trump Actually Cares About Antisemitism

UP NEXT

Will California Meet Newsom’s 2035 EV Deadline? It Won’t Even Hit the 2026 Target 

UP NEXT

Trump Is a Revolutionary. Will He Succeed or Fail?

UP NEXT

We Need Proof of Life for the Makeup Artist Trump Sent to El Salvador

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

7 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

8 hours ago

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

8 hours ago

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

8 hours ago

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

8 hours ago

US Appeals Court Rejects Trump Bid to Revoke 400,000 Migrants’ Legal Status

8 hours ago

Trump Orders the Reopening of Alcatraz Prison

9 hours ago

Will CA Law Change to Allow Councilmembers to Govern While on Military Duty?

9 hours ago

Former Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Says He Met With Trump in Florida

10 hours ago

Trump Is About to Steal My Friend’s Christmas … and Yours

10 hours ago

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Education informed Harvard University on Monday that it was freezing billions of dollars...

5 hours ago

Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024. The Trump administration said on Monday, March 31, 2025, that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)
5 hours ago

Trump Administration Freezes Future Grants to Harvard

Trump Takes Questions about Pope Image
6 hours ago

Trump Denies Posting Image of Himself as Pope, Laughs Off Critics

Merced Sun-Star building before demolition
6 hours ago

Old Merced Sun-Star Newspaper Building Reduced to Rubble

A 3D-printed miniature model of U.S. President Donald Trump with the United Nations logo in the background is seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo)
7 hours ago

US Seeks to Weaken Global Development Finance Efforts, UN Document Shows

Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
8 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order to Encourage US Drug Manufacturing

U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken May 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
8 hours ago

Dollar Slides Against Peers Weighed Down by Fresh Tariff Worries

The Rivian logo is shown on one of their new electric SUV vehicles in San Diego, U.S., December 16, 2022. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)
8 hours ago

Rivian to Build $120 Million Supplier Park in Illinois

President Donald Trump announces the NFL draft will be held in Washington, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 5, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)
8 hours ago

Trump Signs Order Restricting Research That Enhances Pathogens

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend