White House adviser Peter Navarro speaks to reporters outside the West Wing in Washington.
Erin Scott | Reuters
Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro was arrested Friday in a federal indictment for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol. He was charged with two counts of contempt. ,
According to the indictment in US District Court in Washington, D.C., Navarro, 72, refused to testify on March 2 in response to the summons and also refused to produce 23 documents demanded by the same summons.
Navarro claimed that former President Donald Trump had exercised executive privilege in connection with the investigation and that it prevented Navarro from cooperating. “My hands are tied,” Navarro wrote to the committee on February 27.
House of Representatives in April voted from the US Justice Department to criminalize Navarro and another Trump aide, Dan Scavino, for failing to comply with their subpoenas.
Navarro, who served as business advisor to the former president Donald TrumpWas in custody Friday morning, awaiting his first appearance in court later that day in Washington.
The indictment against him was released by a grand jury on Thursday.
But the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia asked a judge to keep that charge document sealed until Navarro’s arrest because prior to making it public would allow him to “run away, tamper with witnesses or evidence, or otherwise take.” Will get a chance.” Steps to intervene in a criminal matter.”
On Monday, Navarro revealed that he had been issued another summons from a federal grand jury in Washington to testify on Thursday about the events surrounding the January 6 riots.
If convicted of the charges identified in the indictment related to the House committee’s summons, Navarro faces a minimum sentence of 30 days in prison and a maximum sentence of one year on each count, plus a fine of up to $100,000. .
A letter to Navarro, issued with summons on February 9 from the panel, said he had reason to believe he had information related to the Capitol riots and invasion investigation, which led to a certification by a joint session of Congress for hours. interrupted. presidential election Joe Biden,
The riot came after weeks of false claims from Trump and allies that Biden’s Electoral College victory was the result of widespread ballot fraud in several swing states.
The committee’s letter cited reports that Navarro had worked with former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon and others “to develop and implement a plan to delay congressional certification, and ultimately … To change the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election.”
Bannon himself was accused of contempt of Congress for failing to comply in November January 6 A summons was issued to him by the committee.
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