Former Trump adviser Navarro to be sentenced for contempt of Congress
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[January 25, 2024]
By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump's trade
adviser Peter Navarro will be sentenced in Washington federal court on
Thursday for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation
into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. |
![](../images/012524PIX/news_p59.jpg)
Peter Navarro, adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump, faces
reporters after he was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to
cooperate with the House of Representatives committee investigating the
January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, following his trial at U.S.
District Court in Washington, U.S., September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Leah
Millis/File Photo |
Federal prosecutors are seeking six months in prison for
Navarro, writing in a court papers that he “chose allegiance to
former President Donald Trump over the rule of law.”
Navarro’s lawyers are asking for probation, arguing the former
White House adviser “reasonably believed” that he did not have
to cooperate with Congress because he thought Trump had invoked
the legal doctrine of executive privilege, which shields some
presidential records and communications from disclosure.
Navarro was found guilty in September of two counts of contempt
of Congress for defying a subpoena to turn over documents and
provide testimony to the Democratic-led House of Representatives
panel that investigated the Jan. 6 riot, along with broader
attempts by Trump to overturn the 2020 election.
Navarro has asked that any sentence be put on hold while he
pursues an appeal.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who has overseen the case,
determined that Trump had not clearly directed Navarro to assert
privilege. He was barred from making that argument to the jury
during his trial.
Navarro, 74, advised Trump on trade issues during his presidency
and served on a COVID-19 task force. He became a vocal supporter
of Trump’s false claims that his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in
2020 was the result of widespread fraud.
The House Jan. 6 committee sought to interview Navarro about his
plan dubbed the “Green Bay Sweep” to derail the certification of
the election results in Congress.
Navarro is the second prominent Trump adviser to be convicted of
contempt of Congress for spurning the House panel. Former Trump
adviser and right-wing firebrand Steve Bannon was sentenced to
four months in prison in 2022. He has avoided serving the
sentence while he appeals his conviction.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Andy Sullivan and
Bill Berkrot)
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