Peter Navarro found guilty of contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena

Former Trump Trade Adviser Peter Navarro Found Guilty of Criminal Contempt in Jan. 6 Probe

Washington, D.C. – Peter Navarro, a former top White House trade adviser to Donald Trump, has been convicted of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. A jury in Washington, D.C. reached the verdict after a trial that lasted just over a day. Navarro now faces a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 for each count.

Prosecutors alleged that Navarro “acted like he was above the law” when he refused to comply with the committee’s request for documents and testimony in February 2022. The committee was particularly interested in Navarro’s efforts to formulate a plan to delay the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Government attorney John Crabb argued that a subpoena is not an invitation but a requirement, emphasizing the importance of Navarro’s cooperation.

During the trial, three former staffers of the Jan. 6 committee testified for the government, shedding light on Navarro’s refusal to comply with the subpoena. Daniel George, a former senior investigative counsel for the committee, stated that communication with Navarro broke down after he claimed executive privilege in response to the subpoena. The committee had not received any communication from Trump’s counsel regarding Navarro’s subpoena.

Navarro’s defense attorney, Stanley Woodward, argued that the committee should have worked to communicate with Trump’s legal team about the executive privilege issue after Navarro suggested they do so. However, the judge ruled that there was no evidence that Trump formally shielded Navarro from the committee, limiting the defense’s argument.

The defense also objected to the prosecution’s repeated references to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, stating that the case was not about the riot and that linking Navarro to the events of that day was inappropriate. The government argued that the committee’s authority and purpose were born from the events of Jan. 6, as they sought to uncover the truth behind the attack.

In his closing remarks, Woodward emphasized that Navarro had nothing to do with the violence on Jan. 6. He questioned whether the failure to comply with the subpoena was deliberate or the result of inadvertence, accident, or mistake. The prosecution countered by pointing out that Navarro was absent from his scheduled deposition, providing evidence that he willfully defied the subpoena.

Following the verdict, Woodward announced that he would seek a mistrial, claiming that the jurors had taken a walk outside before reaching their decision. The judge invited him to file a brief on the matter.

Navarro is the second Trump ally to be convicted for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee. Steve Bannon, a former Trump aide, was found guilty last year and sentenced to four months in prison. Navarro’s aides, Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino, were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution but were not ultimately charged.

Original Story at www.cbsnews.com – 2023-09-07 20:38:00