Former Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Convicted for Defying Jan. 6 Committee Subpoena

Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser to President Donald Trump, has been found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

The House committee had subpoenaed Navarro, seeking his testimony and documents related to efforts aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. Navarro had refused to comply with the subpoena, arguing that he was shielded by executive privilege, which he claimed protected his communications with then-President Trump from being disclosed.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta had previously rejected Navarro’s plea to dismiss the charges, ruling that there was no evidence to support Navarro’s assertion that Trump himself had invoked executive privilege. Sentencing for Navarro has been scheduled for January 12.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi asserted during the trial that Navarro had made a deliberate choice to defy the congressional subpoena, prioritizing his loyalty to former President Donald Trump over compliance with the legal process. Aloi stated, “The defendant chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over compliance to the subpoena.”

In defense, Navarro’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, argued that the prosecution had not demonstrated that Navarro’s failure to comply was “willful” and rooted in loyalty to Trump. Woodward posed the question, “Do we know that his failure to comply beyond reasonable doubt wasn’t the result of accident, inadvertence, or mistake?”

Peter Navarro was one of four individuals recommended by the House for prosecution by the Justice Department. Notably, political strategist Steve Bannon was previously convicted on similar charges, sentenced to four months in jail, and has filed an appeal. However, the Department opted not to pursue charges against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.

The House committee’s interest in Navarro stemmed from his 2021 book, “In Trump Time,” in which he detailed a scheme referred to as the “Green Bay Sweep” aimed at delaying the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020. Navarro’s book claimed this strategy was the “last, best chance to snatch a stolen election from the Democrats’ jaws of deceit.” The committee cited Navarro’s statements indicating that Trump and “more than 100 members of Congress were ‘on board with the strategy.'” Additionally, Navarro had released a three-page report on his website reiterating claims of election fraud that had been widely discredited by state and local officials in public reports.

It’s worth noting that former President Donald Trump currently faces federal charges in Washington, as well as state charges in Georgia, accusing him of attempting to interfere with the 2020 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to these charges.