Still going after Nunes
Has Devin Nunes forgotten who sent him to Congress?
It’s arguable whether Devin Nunes is really representing California’s 22nd Congressional District.
True, he has been reelected seven times since 2002, when he first won in what was then the 21st District. But these days Nunes appears focused on parlaying his role as President Trump’s most ardent lapdog into national media stardom, even when doing so conflicts with the 22nd’s interests. And the district is noticing.
As chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes is often interviewed by right-wing Fox News broadcasters such as Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. But local political observers including Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski say he hasn’t held a local town hall for years. The district, which encompasses parts of Fresno and Tulare counties, is predominantly agricultural, but Nunes hasn’t taken a position on two of ag’s most pressing issues, trade and immigration, apparently because district sentiment — pro-free trade and pro-immigration — runs counter to Trump’s policies.
And even though Fresno, the biggest city in the district, last month experienced a record 22 consecutive days with highs of more than 100 degrees, Nunes invokes the Trumpian hallucination that climate change isn’t real.
When he arrived in Washington as a freshman congressman in 2003, Nunes was what Warszawski called “a salt-of-the-earth dairy farmer from Pixley who would represent our interests without sinking into the Washington cesspool.” That was before Nunes learned how to swim in it — at about the same time the Trump era began.
Nunes follows the Trump playbook: Lie. If caught, double down. Throw accusations back at the source. Proclaim “fake news.”
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It’s arguable whether Devin Nunes is really representing California’s 22nd Congressional District.
True, he has been reelected seven times since 2002, when he first won in what was then the 21st District. But these days Nunes appears focused on parlaying his role as President Trump’s most ardent lapdog into national media stardom, even when doing so conflicts with the 22nd’s interests. And the district is noticing.
As chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes is often interviewed by right-wing Fox News broadcasters such as Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. But local political observers including Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski say he hasn’t held a local town hall for years. The district, which encompasses parts of Fresno and Tulare counties, is predominantly agricultural, but Nunes hasn’t taken a position on two of ag’s most pressing issues, trade and immigration, apparently because district sentiment — pro-free trade and pro-immigration — runs counter to Trump’s policies.
And even though Fresno, the biggest city in the district, last month experienced a record 22 consecutive days with highs of more than 100 degrees, Nunes invokes the Trumpian hallucination that climate change isn’t real.
When he arrived in Washington as a freshman congressman in 2003, Nunes was what Warszawski called “a salt-of-the-earth dairy farmer from Pixley who would represent our interests without sinking into the Washington cesspool.” That was before Nunes learned how to swim in it — at about the same time the Trump era began.
Nunes follows the Trump playbook: Lie. If caught, double down. Throw accusations back at the source. Proclaim “fake news.”