Former Trump Aide Navarro Sentenced to 4 Months for Contempt of Congress
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former US President Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro has been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House January 6 committee.
He pledged to appeal Thursday’s verdict and said he could not cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege, Al Jazeera reported.
A judge banned him from making that argument during trial, finding that he did not show that Trump had invoked it.
Navarro said in court before his sentencing that the House committee investigating the January 6 attack had led him to believe that it accepted his invocation of executive privilege, which shields some presidential records and communications from disclosure.
Federal prosecutors in Washington had asked Judge Mehta to give Navarro a six-month sentence and a $200,000 fine, arguing that he chose to be loyal to Trump over the rule of law.
Prosecutors also said that Navarro tried to “hide behind claims of privilege” even before he knew what the committee wanted, showing a “disdain” for the committee.
Navarro, 74, advised Trump on trade issues during his presidency and became a vocal supporter of Trump’s false claims of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump backers looked to prevent Congress from certifying President Biden’s victory during a clash with police and rampaging through the Capitol.
Navarro is the second Trump aide convicted of contempt of Congress charges, after former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who also got a four-month sentence but is free pending appeal.
