On December 4, 2019, Nunes sued CNN for alleged defamation in "Nunes v. CNN", seeking $435,350,000 in damages for their reporting of Parnas's lawyer's statement. That month, an attorney for Nunes sent a letter to congressman Ted Lieu threatening to sue over Lieu's comments about Nunes's relationship with Parnas. In response, Lieu wrote, "I welcome any lawsuit from your client and look forward to taking discovery of Congressman Nunes. Or, you can take your letter and shove it." Federal judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed Nunes's suit against CNN on February 19, 2021.