Peter Navarro was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress. He failed to comply with a subpoena issued by the House of Representatives select panel investigating the attack at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Navarro was a former trade advisor to President Donald Trump. He refused to appear in a deposition or produce documents to the committee that was investigating the seizure of the Capitol. This was to prevent Congress from certifying results for 2020.
The indictment was returned Thursday and unsealed Friday. Navarro was seen in court Friday afternoon. He accused prosecutors of playing “hardball” and blasted government officials for his public arrest.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty up to a year in prison and fines of up to $100,000.
NPR was informed Friday by two sources that Dan Scavino, a former Trump White House aide, and Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff, would not be prosecuted by the Justice Department. Experts in legal advice said that such a case would prove difficult because both parties had partially cooperated with Trump and worked more closely together.
Navarro argued that he should not be allowed to testify because he is protected by executive privilege from former President Trump.
President Joe Biden argued that the Jan. 6th 2021 violent protest, in which pro-Trump rioters stormed through bars and injured police officers, was an attack on democracy and didn’t merit legal protections.
In April, the Democratic-led U.S. House voted to place Scavino and Navarro in criminal contempt for Congress for refusing subpoenas. The referrals were supported by only two Republicans: Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, both members of the committee.
The 34-page report was accompanied by two dozen exhibits that documented the attempts to get Scavino and Navarro to cooperate.
The House also approved the referring of contempt charges against Meadows, and former White House aide Steve Bannon, to the Justice Department. Bannon has been indicted by the DOJ and is due to stand trial this summer.
Navarro’s arrest comes less than a week prior to the committee’s major prime time hearing, which will present what it has discovered so far over its almost year-long investigation. The panel will hold approximately a half-dozen public hearings in June, and then release its September report.
