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A federal grand jury indicted former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro on criminal contempt of Congress charges after he refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Jan. 6 committee.
The Department of Justice announced the indictment Friday. The department has previously indicted former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon for contempt of Congress, throwing its weight behind the committee’s subpoenas.
The FBI arrested Navarro Friday morning, and he is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon.
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FILE – Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 2020.
(Stefani Reynolds/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Navarro has called the Jan. 6 committee illegitimate and is suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the committee’s activity. In an interview with Fox News, he called any possible prosecution of him “domestic terrorism.”
Navarro continues to assert executive privilege since he worked at the Trump White House and said he was exempt from appearing before the committee.
The House has also voted to hold former Trump aide Dan Scavino and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress, but the DOJ has not prosecuted them.
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The committee, which is investigating the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to stop congressional certification of the 2020 election, issued the subpoena in February 2022.
The subpoena sought a deposition and documents from Navarro, but Navarro refused, according to the indictment. He faces two counts, each of which could mean between 30 days and a year of jail time and a fine of up to $100,000, if he is convicted, according to the DOJ.
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Bannon, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty to his charges and a trial has been scheduled for July 18.
Fox News’ David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.