Peter Navarro Pleads Not Guilty to Contempt of Congress Charges In Connection to Jan. 6 Committee

Jackson RichmanJun 17th, 2022, 11:03 am
 
Peter Navarro

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro pleaded not guilty on Friday to two charges of contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Earlier this month, Navarro was indicted on the contempt of Congress charges.

According to the Department of Justice:

As detailed in the indictment, on Feb. 9, 2022, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Navarro. The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee on Feb. 23, 2022, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee on March 2, 2022. According to the indictment, Navarro refused to appear to give testimony as required by subpoena and refused to produce documents in compliance with a subpoena.

In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Navarro had information relevant to its investigation. Navarro, formerly an advisor to the President on various trade and manufacturing policies, has been a private citizen since departing the White House on Jan. 20, 2021.

Navarro has claimed that his conversations with former President Donald Trump are protected by executive privilege, hence, his refusal to show up before the committee.

Judge Amit Mehta set the trial date for November — effectively nuking Navarro’s planned book tour.

If convicted, Navarro would face up to two years behind bars and a $200,000 fine, according to the DOJ.

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