Peter Navarro, former Trump aide, charged with contempt of Congress for defying Jan. 6 subpoena
A former Trump aide has been charged with contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena issued on Jan. 6 by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Washington, D.C. Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted on Friday for two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to cooperate with a House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.Two Trump aides have now been charged with defying the committee in criminal court. The trial of Steve Bannon, a political strategist, begins on July 18.
By citing executive privilege, Navarro has refused to testify in order to keep Trump's communications private. By claiming the committee is illegitimate and partisan, Navarro filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to overturn the subpoena.
Navarro appeared in court for the first time on Friday but did not enter a plea and requested a postponement of his next hearing, scheduled for June 17. On the other hand, he argued the civil case should be heard first because it could end up in the Supreme Court.
If I end up in prison, "there are bigger things at stake," says Navarro, who is representing himself in his own lawsuit. Prosecutors fought against his request to postpone the trial until the civil case had been heard in court.Prosecutors, according to Navarro, acted improperly when they detained him at the airport on Friday morning just before he was scheduled to fly to Nashville, Tennesse.
"These people's actions are reprehensible. The way these people treated me is unacceptable for any American "It was Navarro's opinion. "They've turned their investigative abilities into a weapon."
Navarro was granted supervised release pending trial by Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui. Farugui mandated that Navarro make a weekly phone check-in with authorities, report all domestic travel to authorities, request permission for all international travel, and abstain from having any firearms in his personal possession. Navarro's passport had been requested by the prosecutor, but Faruqui refused to comply.
Navarro said he didn't see the point in imposing penalties.
Navarro claimed he posed no danger to anyone. My motto is, "I'm not going anywhere."After reading "In Trump Time," Navarro wrote that the "Green Bay Sweep," a plan to delay the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 election, was the "last and best chance to snatch a stolen election from the Democratic Party's jaws of deception."
According to the committee, Navarro said Trump was "on board" with the strategy in a later interview. The panel is looking for documents and testimony about the plan.February 9 was the date of the subpoena issued by the committee, which requested Navarro's documents and testimony on February 23 and March 2. That he could refuse to answer questions on the grounds of privilege, but that he had to appear in front of the committee to do so.
To keep their communications private, Navarro informed the committee via email on February 27 that Trump had invoked executive privilege to keep them private. "As a result, my options are limited," wrote Navarro.
The committee's power to subpoena documents and witnesses has been upheld by federal courts so far. According to reports, the Supreme Court turned down Trump's request to hear an appeal that would have allowed access to National Archives and Records Administration documents. Vice President Biden's waiver of executive privilege outweighed President Trump's claim in the appeals court.
Navarro was found in contempt of Congress in a vote that took place in April of this year. Unsealing of the indictment against Navarro occurred on Friday. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine
According to California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, Congress cannot function if an incompetent or corrupt executive is not held accountable, as stated in a tweet on Friday.To make sure congressional oversight has teeth, Schiff said, "prosecution of those who refuse to comply with a lawful subpoena" is critical.
For their alleged contempt of Congress, the House has also cited former White House staffers Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino. They are being investigated by the Justice Department for possible criminal charges.
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