WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – The Justice department announced Friday that a grand jury convicted former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro on contempt of Congress counts for rejecting subpoenas from the House select panel probing the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol.
Navarro is indicted with one charge of refusing to undergo a deposition before the panel and another charge of refusing to submit evidence, according to the indictment.
According to a federal official, Navarro was apprehended on Friday and appeared in federal court in D.C. on Friday afternoon, when he did not file an appeal and was freed without bond.
Navarro labeled the Jan. 6 committee a “kangaroo committee” and said that the subpoenas it issued were “unconstitutional” in a press briefing after his court appearance.
Navarro filed a suit against the US attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., and other entities earlier this week, saying he had received a grand jury subpoena connected to the House’s contempt referral, according to ABC NEWS.
In April, the House decided to hold Navarro and Dan Scavino, a former White House social media manager, in contempt for refusing to comply with the panel. The Department Of Justice has not yet taken any measures against Scavino, but after the House decided to hold him in contempt previous year, the department delivered a similar charge against former White House adviser Steve Bannon.
Bannon has entered a not guilty plea to the allegation, and his case will be heard in July.
Democrats on the Jan. 6 panel have voiced displeasure with the Department Of Justice for failing to act on a contempt citation for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that was authorized by the House late December. Meadows, unlike Scavino and Navarro, did originally cooperate with the panel, handing over hundreds of personal texts and emails before changing his mind and refusing to testify.
According to the Department Of Justice, Navarro faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison and penalties of up to $200,000 if found guilty on both counts.
