Nunes Loses Defamation Suit—This Time Against Rachel Maddow, Not Nunes Cow

Former Central Valley congressman Devin Nunes had his bogus defamation suit against MSNBC host Rachel Maddow tossed out by a federal judge in New York. Hopefully NBC files an Anti-SLAPP claim and make Nunes pay for their legal fees.

August 8, 2025

By Brian Hews

If losing lawsuits were an Olympic sport, Devin Nunes might finally win something.

In yet another embarrassing legal flop, Trump Media & Technology Group CEO and former Central Valley congressman Devin Nunes had his defamation suit against MSNBC host Rachel Maddow tossed out by a federal judge in New York. Nunes had accused Maddow and NBCUniversal of smearing him over a 2021 broadcast that suggested he refused to hand over a package from a known Russian agent to the FBI.

Spoiler alert: The judge wasn’t buying it.

At the heart of Nunes’s complaint was a March 2021 segment on The Rachel Maddow Show in which Maddow reported that Nunes received a suspicious package from Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian politician later sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department as a Russian agent, and that Nunes never turned it over to the FBI. Nunes, ever the Trumpian attack dog, cried defamation—demanding damages and a public retraction.

But the court ruled Maddow’s reporting wasn’t defamatory, and more importantly, it wasn’t malicious. The judge said Nunes couldn’t prove what’s legally required for public figures to win defamation claims: “actual malice,” meaning Maddow had to know the statement was false or seriously doubt its truth. She didn’t.

Instead, she relied on contemporaneous reporting from Politico and other reputable sources. According to the judge, Maddow’s statements were based on available information at the time, and there was zero evidence that political bias motivated her coverage. Turns out, repeating Politico is not defamation—it’s just journalism.

This ruling isn’t just a blow to Nunes’s ego—it’s another data point in his long, unsuccessful war on the media. The former congressman has a trail of failed defamation lawsuits behind him, including ones against CNN, The Washington Post, Esquire, and even parody Twitter accounts like “Devin Nunes’ Cow” and “Devin Nunes’ Mom.” Yes, really. A sitting congressman sued a fake cow. And lost.

The bigger picture? Nunes continues to play legal fetch for Donald Trump. As CEO of the flailing Truth Social parent company, Nunes has transitioned from congressional water carrier to full-time MAGA go-fer, doing everything in his power to attack the press—especially if they dare to scrutinize the chaos machine he serves.

Nunes’s obsession with silencing the media isn’t just pathetic—it’s dangerous. His lawsuits are less about setting the record straight and more about punishing journalists who don’t kiss the ring of Dear Leader Trump. Luckily, the courts still care about things like the First Amendment, facts, and not wasting everyone’s time with political cosplay in a courtroom.

So, what’s next for Devin? Maybe another lawsuit against someone who looked at him funny? Or perhaps he’ll try to sue the dictionary for listing “sycophant” so close to “Nunes.”

One thing’s for sure: while journalists do their jobs, Nunes will keep failing at his.