Congressman Devin Nunes announced in a letter to his constituents Monday that he will retire at the end of the year.

The Republican, a major defender of former President Donald Trump, said he had been presented with a new opportunity to "fight for the most important issues" he believes in.

"Rest assured, I have not, by any means, given up our collective fight— I'll just be pursuing it through other means," Nunes said.

Nunes has been the ranking member and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Nunes was first elected to Congress in 2002.

According the Associated Press, Nunes will become CEO of Donald Trump’s new social media venture, Trump Media & Technology Group.