Former Trump aide Peter Navarro has been found guilty of contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with an investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Prosecutors argued that Navarro acted in defiance of the law by ignoring a congressional subpoena, and he now faces potential imprisonment of up to one year for each of the two contempt charges.
This conviction comes after another prominent Trump ally, former strategist Steve Bannon, was convicted of contempt of Congress the previous year.
Outside the Washington DC court on Thursday, Navarro expressed his view that it was a "sad day for America" and vowed to appeal the verdict all the way to the Supreme Court. He emphasized that this was the first time in the history of the United States that a senior White House adviser, seen as the president's alter ego, had been charged with such a crime. Navarro argued that the Department of Justice had maintained a policy for over 50 years that senior White House advisers were not obligated to testify before Congress, yet they chose to bring this case against him.
Navarro's guilty verdict was delivered by a 12-member jury following four hours of deliberation after a two-day trial. His legal team is also seeking a mistrial, claiming that jurors left the courtroom during deliberations and encountered protesters.
Peter Navarro, who served as a senior trade adviser to former President Donald Trump, was subpoenaed by a US House of Representatives select committee in February 2022. However, he refused to provide the requested emails and documents or testify before the Democratic-led panel. The committee sought to question Navarro about efforts to delay the certification of the 2020 election.
Navarro was indicted in June 2022 and arrested at a Washington airport by FBI agents as he was preparing to board a flight to Nashville, Tennessee.
During the trial, prosecutors contended that Navarro prioritized his loyalty to Mr. Trump over complying with the subpoena, which they argued constituted contempt and a criminal offense. Navarro's defense primarily aimed to discredit the prosecutor's case and did not present substantial evidence.
Navarro had previously cited executive privilege as instructed by Mr. Trump when contacted by the committee, asserting that it allowed him to disregard the committee's summons. However, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that there was no evidence to support Navarro's claim of executive privilege or Mr. Trump's authority to enable him to ignore the committee's subpoena.
In his 2021 book, "In Trump Time," Navarro claimed to have devised a strategy to challenge the election results by alleging widespread voter fraud. The plan involved congressional Republicans delaying the certification of President Joe Biden's victory, which he referred to as the "Green Bay Sweep," drawing inspiration from American football tactics.
The House committee countered Navarro's claims, stating that state and local officials had debunked allegations of widespread ballot fraud.
In addition to potential one-year prison sentences for each count of contempt, Navarro could face fines of up to $100,000. His sentencing is scheduled for January.
Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign adviser, suggested that the prosecution appeared to have political motivations, noting that it's not uncommon for Congress to hold former or current members of presidential administrations in contempt.