Top executives quit Trump media amid allegations of CEO mismanagement and retaliation

Former President Donald Trump’s media company has forced out executives in recent days after internal allegations that its CEO, former Rep. Devin Nunes, is mismanaging the company, according to interviews and communications records from former employees.

In the Trump media outlet, several believe the ousters are retaliation after an anonymous “whistleblower” complaint about Nunes reached the company’s board of directors.

According to interviews, social media posts and communications between former employees reviewed by ProPublica, the chief operating and product director has left the company, along with at least two lower-level associates. The company that operates the social media platform Truth Social announced the departure of its chief operating officer in a securities filing Thursday afternoon.

ProPublica has not seen the whistleblower complaint. But several people familiar with the company said the concerns revolved around Nunes’ alleged mismanagement. One person said they included misappropriating funds, hiring foreign contractors and interfering with product development.

In a statementA Trump Media spokeswoman did not respond to specific questions, but said ProPublica’s investigation into the company “completely invents implications of improper and even illegal behavior that have no basis in reality.”

“This story is the fifth in an increasingly absurd campaign by ProPublica, possibly at the behest of political interest groups, to damage TMTG based on false and defamatory claims and vague innuendo,” the statement said, adding that “TMTG strictly complies with all laws and relevant regulations.”

Trump Media’s board of directors is made up of influential figures in Trump’s world, including his son Donald Trump Jr., former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and businesswoman Linda McMahon, a major donor and current co-chair of Trump’s transition planning committee.

Nunes was named the company’s CEO in 2021, and Trump hailed him as a “fighter and leader” who would “make a great CEO.” As a member of Congress, Nunes was known as one of Trump’s staunchest supporters.

After internal allegations about Nunes surfaced at Trump Media, the company hired a lawyer to investigate and question employees, according to a person familiar with the company.

Then last week, some employees interviewed by the attorney were notified they were being pushed out, the person said. Among the displaced employees are a director of human relations and a product designer, as well as chief operating officer Andrew Northwall and director of product Sandro De Moraes. Trump Media asked employees to sign an agreement not to disclose wrongdoing to the company in exchange for severance, the person familiar with the company said.

Thursday afternoon, Posted by Northwall on Truth Social announced that he had “decided to step down from my role at Trump Media,” adding that he was “incredibly grateful” to Trump and Nunes “for this opportunity.”

“As I step back, I look forward to focusing more on my family and returning to my entrepreneurial journey,” the statement said.

But Moraes now identifies himself biography of Truth Social as the company’s “former chief product officer”.

Some of the departures were made public earlier this week when former Trump Media employee Alex Gleason said in a social media post, “The truth is in ruins. A lot more people got fired.”

Trump personally owns nearly 60% of the company. Even after the recent drop in the company’s stock price, this stake is worth nearly $2 billion on paper, a significant portion of Trump’s fortune. He said last month he had no plans to sell his shares. It’s unclear what role, if any, Trump plays in the company’s day-to-day operations.

Since its launch in 2021, the company has become a meme stock fueled by speculation, but its actual business has produced virtually no revenue, and Truth Social has not emerged as a serious competitor to the major social media platforms.

Nunes’ moves as CEO include, as ProPublica reported, a major streaming TV deal with several undisclosed companies, including one controlled by a major political donor. In the summer, he also traveled to the Balkans and met with the prime minister of North Macedonia, the purpose of which the company has never publicly explained.

Trump Media has formal whistleblowing policyadopted when the company went public in March, which encourages employees to report illegal activity and other “business conduct that harms the company’s reputation and business interests.”