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Former White House Adviser Peter Navarro has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He is facing two counts, one for failing to turn over documents and one for refusing to testify.
If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail on each count, along with a maximum fine of $100,000.
Navarro joins former Trump adviser Steve Bannon as the second Trump official to get indicted for refusing the cooperate with the committee.
Navarro has claimed that he is protected by executive privilege and does not have to testify or turn over the documents requested by the committee. Earlier in the week, Navarro filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House select committee, and the Department of Justice.
“It is 99 percent aimed at the kangaroo committee that Pelosi formed. I drafted my lawsuit prior to any communication from the U.S. attorney. And just before I was going to file it, I got this other subpoena, so I just included that in the filing,” Navarro told The Hill.