Former advisor on trade to ex-US President Donald Trump, Peter Navarro, has been convicted of contempt of Congress by a federal jury in Washington. The conviction came as a result of Navarro’s refusal to testify before the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill attack. This marks the second instance of a close ally of Trump being convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House committee.
During a two-day trial, Navarro was found guilty on two counts. He had not only declined to appear for a deposition before the committee but also refused to provide requested documents to the panel. This conviction follows a similar one against Steve Bannon, a key figure in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, in July of the previous year. Bannon was later sentenced to four months in prison in October, though he remains free pending an appeal.
Navarro has indicated his intent to appeal the verdict, emphasizing that the legal proceedings are far from concluded. He characterized the conviction as a “sad day for America.” Meanwhile, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who also resisted subpoenas from the House committee investigating the Capitol attack, has not faced charges of contempt of Congress. Meadows argued that, as a former top presidential advisor, he possessed immunity from being compelled to testify before the committee—a defense that Navarro and Bannon unsuccessfully employed.
Former President Trump is scheduled to stand trial in Washington in March on charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the November 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Similar charges have been brought against Trump in a separate case in the state of Georgia. In a recent book, Navarro detailed a post-election strategy known as the “Green Bay sweep,” aimed at reversing President Biden’s victory by obstructing confirmation in the House, indicating that Trump supported this strategy.
