Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro has been found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with a congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol Building.
Navarro, 74, was convicted by a Washington, DC, jury after four hours of deliberation on Thursday — one day after the start of the trial — over his failure to produce documents and comply with a subpoena request for testimony issued last year by the House Jan. 6 Select Committee.
The former White House official had intended to launch a defense centered on his assertion that executive privilege had been invoked by former President Donald Trump, shielding him from the subpoena.
However, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Wednesday that Navarro had failed to meet the burden of proof needed to demonstrate that executive privilege had been invoked and that he couldn’t use it as a defense.
Navarro faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count, and a minimum sentence of 30 days in prison for each crime.
The Justice Department argued during closing arguments that Navarro “made a choice” to defy the congressional committee’s February 2022 subpoena.
“The defendant chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over compliance to the subpoena,” DOJ prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi told the jury.
Navarro told reporters outside the courthouse that he was not surprised by the guilty verdict.
“The day that Judge Mehta ruled that I could not use executive privilege as the defense in this case, the die was cast,” he said.
“This was pro forma pro forma. We knew going in what the verdict was going to be,” he added, noting that he will appeal the verdict.
“I said from the beginning, this is going to the Supreme Court. I said from the beginning, I am willing to go to prison to settle this issue. I’m willing to do that. But I also know that the likelihood of me going to prison is relatively small because we are right on this issue,” he said.
Navarro is the second former Trump administration official to be convicted of contempt of Congress charges.
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was found guilty of two counts in July 2022 and was sentenced to four months in prison. Bannon is currently free pending his appeal.
Navarro’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2024.
