Peter Navarro

Trump's former trade adviser, who has spoken openly about plotting to overturn the 2020 election, has refused to cooperate with the panel investigating the ...

Navarro’s “Green Bay Sweep” plan sought to keep Trump in office by having Vice President Mike Pence delay the certification of the Electoral College so that Congress and state legislatures would have more time to pursue fraud allegations. Navarro has long been open, often shockingly so, about his role in the plot to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Navarro writes in the suit that he will “lead the charge” if he’s “not dead or in prison” to subpoena Democratic leaders if Republicans win the 2024 election. The committee voted in March to refer Navarro — along with former Trump communications aide Dan Scavino — in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas. He discussed the filing during a heated interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber on Thursday. The indictment came down on Friday as Navarro has refused to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee.

Navarro, like former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon, was indicted after refusing to comply with a Jan. 6 committee subpoena.

Lawmakers and investigators on the committee have come to view Meadows as a central figure in Trump’s months-long bid to overturn the results of the election and have previously expressed concern that Garland’s delay could hamstring their work. Moss also told Navarro to amend his lawsuit to make clear the basis for any other claims, such as those challenging the legitimacy of the House select committee or the authority of Biden to waive executive privilege invoked by his predecessor. In 2008, for example, the department rebuffed charges against President George W. Bush’s chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, who had resisted subpoenas over the controversial forced resignations of U.S. attorneys during the pair’s tenure. “As demonstrated in this brief, the executive privilege invoked by President Trump is not mine or Joe Biden’s to waive,” Navarro repeated in the suit. Prosecutors alleged that Navarro did not communicate at all with the committee after receiving the subpoena. Navarro, formerly an adviser to the president on various trade and manufacturing policies, has been a private citizen since departing the White House on Jan. 20, 2021. Navarro, 72, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents to the committee, according to a seven-page indictment. Legal analysts said Congress could sue to try to effect that result, hoping a judge would hold Navarro in civil contempt and jail him until he cooperated. Navarro said in his lawsuit against Pelosi and the committee that he was directed to testify before a grand jury June 2 and present “[a]ll documents relating to the subpoena dated February 9, 2022” that he received from the committee, “including but not limited to any communications with [former president] Trump and/or his counsel or representative.” In a letter accompanying the original Navarro subpoena, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the select committee, cited news reports that the former Trump trade adviser “worked with Steve Bannon and others to develop and implement a plan to delay Congress’s certification of, and ultimately change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.” Navarro, who filed the lawsuit on his own without a lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both Navarro and Bannon were indicted by a grand jury in Washington — a rare move by the Justice Department to escalate the consequences of a dispute involving Congress by bringing criminal charges.

Peter Navarro, who served as a trade advisor to former President Donald Trump, refused to testify to the House committee investigating the Capitol riot.

Navarro did not self-surrender on the charges, a law-enforcement source told NBC News. "My hands are tied," Navarro wrote the committee on Feb. 27. Navarro, 72, had refused to appear to testify on March 2 in response to the subpoena and also refused to produce by Feb. 23 documents sought by that same subpoena, according to the indictment in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. - Navarro had refused to appear to testify on March 2 in response to the subpoena and also refused to produce by Feb. 23 documents sought by that same subpoena. Former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro was arrested Friday on a federal indictment charging him with two counts of contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. - Former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro was indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro was indicted Friday on contempt charges after defying a subpoena from the House panel investigating the Jan.

The panel — seven Democratic lawmakers, Republican Liz Cheney and former Republican Adam Kinziger, now an independent — hope to lay out, step-by-step, how Trump and his allies worked feverishly to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election, spreading lies about widespread voter fraud that fuelled a violent assault on the seat of democracy. He was also seen at the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta on Thursday. Several Republican members of the House, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have so far refused to appear voluntarily. Navarro, 72, was charged with one contempt count for failing to appear for a deposition before the House committee. The committee went ahead with its scheduled deposition on March 2, but Navarro did not attend. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was indicted in November. The case against him is pending.

Navarro said he was arrested at a DC-area airport Friday on his way to Nashville.

"I will push as hard as I can to use the same B.S. the Democrats are using now to try to put me in prison for standing up for principle," Navarro said. He ultimately closed off communication with the committee and referred all questions regarding his cooperation to Trump and his attorneys. "You bet your a** that I will lead the charge," Navarro said. "Hit them with subpoenas," Navarro declared. Navarro revealed Monday that he had been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors who were seeking documents related to his decision. Navarro had claimed that he was unable to cooperate because former President Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege in the matter. The Justice Department has yet to act on two other Trump allies referred by the House for prosecution: former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-White House aide Dan Scavino. Navarro also asked the committee if the proceedings would be held in public. The first referral from the House, for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was picked up by DOJ and has led to an indictment. They are obligated to comply with our investigation. Navarro, who has a Ph.D in economics, is not an attorney. At Friday's court appearance, Judge Zia Faruqui expressed concern about allowing Navarro to represent himself.

Trade hawk and former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was indicted for refusing to cooperate with the House investigation into the Capitol riot.

He also stepped outside his area of expertise, fighting with Dr. Anthony Fauci in public and egging on Trump’s promotion of an untested COVID-19 treatment. Investigators sought documents and testimony about Navarro’s role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and stay in power. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Navarro described the subpoena as “unlawful.”

The House voted in April to hold Peter Navarro in contempt. Evidently, this did not go unnoticed at the Justice Department.

The House voted last fall to hold Steve Bannon in contempt when he ignored a Jan. 6 committee subpoena, and soon after, the former White House strategist was indicted. Democratic lawmakers also voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt when he refused to honor a subpoena, but at least for now, he hasn’t been charged. As regular readers know, Peter Navarro was a key insider in Donald Trump’s White House; he has important information; he was subpoenaed to cooperate with the bipartisan investigation; and he refused. Navarro’s initial court appearance is expected this afternoon. According to the Justice Department’s statement, each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000. Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro has been indicted on contempt of Congress charges, the Department of Justice said Friday. Navarro, 72, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on two counts of contempt after snubbing a subpoena from the House committee investigating Jan. 6 seeking testimony and documents.

Peter Navarro was arrested after refusing to co-operate with the inquiry into last year's US Capitol riot.

Critics of the investigation have pointed out that in 2012, former US Attorney General Eric Holder was not criminally charged after he was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with an inquiry. "I was a distinguished public servant for four years!" The House panel has also recommended contempt charges for Dan Scavino, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr Trump, and Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff.