Rep. Devin Nunes raised an extraordinary approximate sum of $2.25 million in six weeks as grassroots Republicans rewarded the House Intelligence Committee chairman for quarterbacking President Trump’s counterattack against allegations of collusion with Russia in 2016.
The haul should push Nunes’ midterm war chest past $5 million, with donations pouring in from a national fundraising program. The California Republican’s stock has skyrocket in conservative circles amid his aggressive antagonism of the federal investigation into Trump’s activities led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Nunes’ latest figures, to be filed with the Federal Election Commission as part of a mandated disclosure ahead of California’s June 5 primary, were shared with the Washington Examiner by a source close to the congressman.
“If you’ve got the attention of the grassroots — particularly if you’re investigating the president or defending him — it’s a smart investment to make,” a Republican consultant said, of Nunes’ national fundraising program.
Nunes this year has become one of the Republican Party’s most prolific fundraisers.
The House Intelligence chairman raised $1.25 million in the first quarter, more than he collected in all of 2017, with the additional $2.3 million flowing in just since April 1. That performance, with six weeks to go in the second quarter, is unusually strong for a congressman not serving in elected leadership, and has even surpassed some high profile GOP Senate candidates.
The fundraising spike comes after Nunes invested for the first time in a national fundraising program. The effort began in late winter, after the House Select Committee on Intelligence completed its probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign and possible collusion with Moscow to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton by Trump or his associates.
Nunes prospected for grassroots Republicans who contribute to campaigns in small amounts, using direct mail and digital appeals to reach them. The effort took off. They responded to a lawmaker that they became familiar with as fixture of conservative media, where he makes frequent appearances to defend Trump and undermine his critics — inside both the Democratic Party and the community of former law enforcement.
A significant portion of the initial proceeds of Nunes’ fundraising program will go to cover the cost of developing the donor list, explaining the minimal jump in Nunes’ cash on hand since the end of March. But over time, his campaign should reap larger returns as he continues to enjoy the support of loyal contributors.
Nunes, 44, was first elected in 2002 and had developed a power base of influence on Capitol Hill, with close ties to House GOP leadership. Nunes bonded with Trump during the presidential campaign during a visit out to his Central Valley congressional district, and served as an adviser to the president’s transition team.
Their views on Vladimir Putin did not necessarily line up — Nunes has always been a Russia hawk.
But from the outset, Nunes was suspicious of accusations, mostly from Democrats but also some Republicans, that Trump colluded with the Kremlin. Even as Nunes was leading the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian meddling, his defense of the president and counterattacks on Democrats and Trump critics like former FBI Director James Comey, escalated.
He has supervised a House Intelligence panel probe of possible malfeasance by Trump’s opponents in the 2016 campaign as well as alleged impropriety on the part of the FBI and other federal officials that were involved in investigating Trump during that period.
Nunes has pressured the Justice Department to reveal confidential information about the counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign in 2016, and the Mueller probe, threatening top Justice officials with contempt of Congress charges if they aren’t more forthcoming.
In the process, Nunes had become a conservative media star, with periodic appearances on programs like Sean Hannity’s highly rated Fox News show. The congressman’s name recognition and popularity with the conservative grassroots has increased. And, he is now fielding dozens of invitations to speak to Republican groups and travel to the districts of his House GOP colleagues to headline campaign events.
Nunes also is putting his political celebrity to work for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm. He has signed email fundraising appeals for the NRCC and is expected to do more because they performed.
The missives target partisans who tend to be more enthusiastic than rank-and-file voters and donate money in small amounts — with the proper motivation. The NRCC wouldn’t ask the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to sign two emails in less than a month if he didn’t have pull with this crowd.
“As you can probably tell, I’m not the Mainstream Media’s favorite right now. Despite what they say about me, I refuse to yield to the radical left or their friends in the media,” the latest email, dropped this week, read. “The problem is, this makes me and other conservatives like me a target in the midterms. That’s why I’m asking everyone in our movement to step up and help me fend off the lies and attacks.”
