Trump Media CEO Nunes loses defamation lawsuit over Rachel Maddow show

Source: Reuters

Trump Media CEO Nunes loses defamation lawsuit over Rachel Maddow show

By Jonathan Stempel
August 4, 2025 10:20 AM EDT * Updated 2 hours ago

NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit by Devin Nunes, the former California congressman and now chief executive of Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT.O), opens new tab, against NBCUniversal over a comment by Rachel Maddow about his dealings with a suspected Russian agent.

U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan ruled on Friday that no reasonable jury could find Maddow demonstrated actual malice toward Nunes in March 2021 when discussing a package addressed to him from pro-Russia Ukrainian legislator Andrii Derkach on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

Nunes received the package in December 2019, when the Republican was the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. ... Maddow told viewers that Nunes "refused to hand it over to the FBI, which is what you should do if you get something from somebody who is sanctioned by the U.S. as a Russian agent."

Nunes said Maddow knew the package was turned over promptly. She and her executive producer, who were not defendants, claimed to rely on other sources when creating the segment. NBCUniversal is a unit of Comcast.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-media-ceo-nunes-loses-defamation-lawsuit-over-rachel-maddow-show-2025-08-04/