According to a copy seen by ProPublica, an internal whistleblower complaint at Trump Media calls for CEO Devin Nunes to be fired, alleging that he “seriously” mismanaged the company and exposed it to “substantial risk of legal action” from regulators.
The letter also says former President Donald Trump’s campaign is hiring “America Last” — claiming Nunes imposed a directive to hire only foreign contractors at the expense of “American workers who are deeply committed to our mission.”
“Not only does this approach run counter to the America First principles we stand for, but it also raises concerns about the quality, dedication and alignment of our workforce with our core values,” the letter said.
Trump’s pledge to “end outsourcing” and “punish” companies that send jobs overseas has been a centerpiece of his political career, including his current presidential campaign.
The letter also accuses Nunes, a former Republican congressman, of hiring unqualified members of his inner circle and being dishonest with employees of the company that runs the social media platform Truth Social.
ProPublica reported this month that several executives and employees were forced to leave the company, and people associated with Trump Media believed the firings were retaliation after a whistleblower complaint. According to interviews and communications records of former employees, this complaint generated a lot of interest among former employees. Several people with knowledge of the campaign told ProPublica that the concern stems from Nunes’ alleged mismanagement.
No specific employee signed the letter that was reviewed by ProPublica. It claims to represent “more than half” of the company’s staff, including “several department heads and C-level officers.” A copy reviewed by ProPublica has been circulating among people connected to the campaign, and it’s unclear whether there are differences between it and the version recently presented to the Trump Media board.
A copy reviewed by ProPublica is addressed to the board’s audit committee and says it was filed through an anonymous company channel of informants.
Trump Media declined to answer detailed questions about the whistleblower complaint or to comment on the council. But the lawyer of the company letter accused ProPublica of writing another in a “series of hits” and “once again relying on unreliable sources in an attempt to paint a picture of internal turmoil.”
In a previous statement, a lawyer for the company said in the letter that Trump Media “strictly complies with all applicable laws and regulations.”
Nunes and the Trump campaign did not respond to questions.
The whistleblower’s complaint paints a picture of turmoil and deep problems at the company at a time when Trump Media’s stock has risen nearly 150% in less than a month, pushing the company’s market value to about $6 billion. Although Truth Social generates little to no revenue, the company’s stock has attracted huge interest from Trump supporters and speculators.
The stock’s rally has produced a windfall, at least on paper, for Trump, whose controlling stake in the company is now worth more than $3 billion. (He recently said he has no plans to sell.)
The company’s board of directors includes Trump’s son, Don Jr., and two of his former cabinet members: Robert Lighthizer, a former U.S. trade representative, and Linda McMahon, who headed the Small Business Administration and is a major donor and current Trump co-chair. transition planning committee.
After ProPublica history was published this month, the attorney representing Trump Media, Jason Greaves of the Binnall Law Group, sent ProPublica a letter demanding an “immediate retraction.” The letter described the article as “false and defamatory” but offered no evidence that anything in the story was inaccurate.
After whistleblowers complained to the board, the company brought in an outside lawyer to investigate and interview employees, a person with knowledge of the company told ProPublica. It is not clear what the results of that inspection were or whether it is ongoing. Governance experts told ProPublica that company boards have a duty to address signals of corporate misconduct.
In perhaps the most serious allegation, the letter states that Nunes’ “misconduct has placed us at significant risk of litigation with our regulators, suppliers, shareholders and employees and has already resulted in litigation.”
The letter does not provide examples of what Nunes has done that could put regulators at risk of action.
The letter says that Trump Media is not only understaffed — only “20 technical staff” — but that Nunes has blocked the hiring of Americans. LinkedIn profiles and invoices obtained by ProPublica show that about half a dozen people based in the Balkans work for Trump Media, performing tasks including software development and customer support.
The front page of Truth Social features the tagline: “Proudly made in the United States of America. 🇺🇸”
The whistleblower’s letter suggests that Nunes, who left a two-decade career as a California congressman in 2022 to become CEO of Trump Media, is ill-equipped to run a technology company.
“Mr. Nunes consistently lied, assaulted employees, and mismanaged company resources, placing important functions in the hands of unqualified members of his inner circle,” the report said.
The letter does not provide examples of Nunes’ alleged lies or name members of his inner circle.
The tone of the letter is more sadness than anger.
“We have approached this with patience, kindness and grace, hoping for improvement, but the situation has only gotten worse,” the letter said, adding, “We remain fully committed to the mission of restoring and protecting free speech on social media.”
Another concern in the letter is about money. According to the letter, the employees were pressured to sell their shares in the company at $20 each before it went public, leaving them without a stake in the business and incurring financial costs. After going public in March, the company’s shares briefly traded more than three times higher. After dipping as low as $12 in September, it closed above $29 this week.
The letter warned that if the council did not act, the problems could spill into the public eye and Trump Media could be seriously damaged.
“The longer these internal failures — from management mismanagement and broken promises to legal vulnerabilities — go unaddressed, the more likely they are to leak out, likely triggering a PR crisis,” the letter said. “If these issues become public, they will seriously tarnish Truth Social’s reputation, undermine public confidence and attract negative media attention.”
Do you have information about Trump Media that we should know? Justin Elliott can be reached by email at (email protected) or via Signal or WhatsApp at 774-826-6240. Robert Faturechi can be reached by email at (email protected) and via Signal or WhatsApp at 213-271-7217.
