WASHINGTON — Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro must face a criminal contempt trial for refusing to answer a subpoena by the congressional committee investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a federal judge in Washington ruled.
Navarro failed to offer evidence to back up his claim that former president Donald Trump had asserted privilege preventing him from responding to the congressional subpoena, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said in a court filing Thursday. Navarro “has offered neither a sworn affidavit nor testimony from him or the former President,” Mehta wrote.
The government charged Navarro with two counts of contempt for failing to hand over documents and provide testimony to the Jan. 6 committee. He is the second Trump aide to be prosecuted for refusing to cooperate. In October, Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison after a jury found him guilty of contempt of Congress. His sentence is on hold while he appeals.
