Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House advisor, has been convicted of contempt of Congress in relation to his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the January 6 Committee.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – Trump White House official Peter Navarro has been convicted of contempt charges of Congress filed after he had been accused of refusing cooperation with a congressional inquiry into the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
The verdict was reached after a brief trial. Navarro served as a White House Trade Advisor under President Donald Trump and promoted Republican baseless claims about mass voter fraud during the 2020 election he won.
Navarro is the second Trump aide who has been charged with contempt of Congress, after former White House advisor Steve Bannon. Bannon was found guilty of two counts, and sentenced to spend four months in prison. He is currently free while his appeal is pending.
BREAKING: Trump White House official Peter Navarro has been convicted of contempt of Congress charges filed after he was accused of refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. https://t.co/bS9kJWjFJP
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 7, 2023
The judge’s decision and both sides of the story are presented in the report.
Prosecutors claimed that Navarro acted “above the laws” by refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee on Jan. 6, which demanded documents. He was charged with two counts of misdemeanor contempt of Congress. Both are punishable by up to a year in prison.
Defense attorney argued that Navarro did not ignore the congressional subpoena, but rather told staffers of the committee to contact Trump regarding what materials might be covered under executive privilege. This was something they didn’t do.
Amit Mehta, a U.S. district judge in New York, ruled that Navarro’s argument of executive privilege was not a defense to the charges because Navarro had failed to show evidence Trump had invoked it.
We will update you as soon as we have more information.
