- Ex-Trump advisor Peter Navarro has been indicted for defying the House January 6 committee.
- Navarro has claimed that he can't cooperate due to Trump's supposed privilege over the information.
- Navarro joins Stephen Bannon in now facing federal charges over his refusal to cooperate.
A federal grand jury indicted former Trump advisor Peter Navarro after he repeatedly defied the House January 6 committee.
The grand jury indicted Navarro on two separate counts, one related to his refusal to testify for a deposition and another related to his refusal to provide documents to the committee. Each count carries with it a minimum of 30 days in jail and the potential of up to a $100,000 fine.
The charges, which were unsealed on Friday, add further weight to the federal investigations into the Capitol riot and the to go after witnesses that are reluctant to cooperate with investigators. US District Judge Amit P. Mehta on Thursday signed an order to seal the case for one day out of concern the public disclosure could lead to Navarro taking off, tampering with evidence, and "serious jeopardy to the execution of the arrest warrant."
Navarro,72, has tried to claim that former President Donald Trump's executive privilege prevents him from cooperating with the probe. President Joe Biden has waived executive privilege over some of Trump's documents and the bipartisan panel has repeatedly rejected Navarro's claims.
A noted-China hawk, Navarro mostly advised Trump on trade policy and was later involved in his pandemic response. After the 2020 election, Navarro publicly bragged about his efforts to help put into motion a plan that would have delayed certification of the Biden's win in a bid to get state legislatures to eventually overturn the election results.
Navarro called the plot the "Green Bay sweep" and detailed its contents to Rolling Stone in January.
"... The more likely scenario based on our assessment of the evidence was that states would withdraw any certification," Navarro told Rolling Stone. "And the election would be thrown to the House of Representatives. And even though the House is controlled by Democrats, the way votes would be counted in a presidential election decided by the House, Trump would almost certainly win."
NBC News has reported that Navarro was arrested by authorities and is expectded to appear in court Friday afternoon in Washington DC. He did not respond to Insider's request to comment.
House lawmakers voted to hold Navarro and Dan Scavino, another Trump White House official, in contempt in April, triggering the Justice Department's review of the case.
Navarro is just the second Trump ally to face contempt charges, joining former top advisor Steve Bannon. Judge Carl Nichols, a 2019 appointee to the federal trial court in Washington, DC, set Bannon's trial to begin on July 18.Some House Democrats have pushed the Justice Department to bring charges against recalcitrant witnesses, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Last year, George Terwilliger, Meadow's attorney, said that his client would not cooperate with the select committee's investigation.
The indictment comes a day after Navarro said on MSNBC that he would subpoena President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, members of the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack, if the Republican party wins the 2024 Presidential election.
"I will take Adam Schiff and Jamie Raskin and Nancy Pelosi and Elaine Luria and all of those clowns and kangaroos," he said. "I'll take Biden and every single senior staff member in there, I will put them with subpoenas, and we'll start with the impeachment of Biden for Ukraine, the southern border, all manner of things he is guilty of."
It also comes days after Navarro said in a court filing that the FBI issued him a subpoena to appear befor a grand jury as part of the Justice Department's investigation into the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.