President Donald Trump will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a prominent critic of the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, was one of Trump’s loudest cheerleaders in his efforts to undermine the Russia probe led by then-special counsel Robert Mueller.
“Congressman Nunes pursued the Russia Hoax at great personal risk and never stopped standing up for the truth,” the White House said Monday in a statement announcing the award, the country’s highest civilian honor.
During an interview on “Fox & Friends” in October 2018, Trump suggested that Nunes deserved the medal for his fight against the Russia probe.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), another one of Trump’s political allies, is also expected to receive the prestigious award, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Both Jordan and Nunes have defended Trump through his presidency and during his impeachment.
Last month, Jordan called for a congressional investigation into the “integrity of the 2020 election” that Trump lost.
Trump still has not conceded the election to President-elect Joe Biden. However, during his final weeks in office, he has granted a slew of presidential pardons to friends, family members and other allies.
Hayley Miller contributed reporting.