NEWS
Former White House Adviser Peter Navarro Convicted of Contempt of Congress in Jan. 6 Probe
Courtesy of realpnavarro/Instagram
Peter Navarro, White House trade adviser under former President Donald Trump, was convicted on Thursday of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
A Washington, D.C., jury found Navarro, 74, guilty following a one-day trial in which Navarro’s defense attorneys called no witnesses.
Prosecutors argued that Navarro acted “above the law” when he failed to comply with the House select committee’s February 2022 request for testimony and documents related to Navarro’s role in the effort to delay official certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Navarro’s defense team argued that the prosecution did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Navarro’s failure to comply was not simply an accident or mistake.
They initially sought a mistrial, and plan to appeal the verdict, on the grounds that during their deliberation, jurors took a break outside the courthouse and were exposed to protesters holding signs about the case.
According to attorney and strategic communications adviser Kaivan Shroff, who is not involved in the case, the conviction serves as an “important reminder that Congress’s subpoena power actually matters.”
“The real sign nobody is above the law would be pursuing Jim Jordan who committed the same crime, also refusing to appear before the Jan. 6 committee,” Shroff said. “None of these men had the courage to show up and be honest with the American people — though Navarro seemed willing to discuss Jan. 6 in his book.”
Last year, Steve Bannon was also found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress after he did not comply with a subpoena, and was sentenced to four months in prison. His lawyers appealed the conviction, and a judge suspended his sentence until the appeal is settled.
“When the general public hears phrases like ‘convicted of criminal contempt’, it sounds horrible, which is precisely the point. This is all political optics and can be quite effective,” said Diane Canada, author of “Lady Up & Don’t Quit” and founder of the Lady Up America movement.
“Navarro and Bannon refused to bring evidence that could be twisted to incriminate themselves, which even our Miranda Laws protect a person from,” Canada said, referring to the so-called Miranda warning that arrestees have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, enacted as a result of a 1966 Supreme Court ruling in Miranda v. Arizona.
“I’m all for investigations to uncover truth, but this is a circus,” Canada said.
Navarro’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12. He faces a minimum of 30 days and up to one year in prison on each count, along with a maximum fine of $100,000 per count.
TMX contributed to this article.
