Washington, Sep 7 (EFE).- Peter Navarro, adviser to former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021), was found guilty Thursday of legislative contempt for refusing to cooperate with Congress in the investigation into the January 2021 assault on Capitol Hill.
Navarro is the second former Trump advisor found guilty of failing to cooperate with the congressional committee investigating that attack. In July last year, the first was far-right Steve Bannon, whose case is now on appeal.
According to CNN, the prosecution argued Thursday that Navarro “made a choice” in not obeying the February 2022 subpoena and stressed that Navarro knew what he was asked to do and when.
On the other hand, his lawyer argued that the subpoena allegedly needed to specify where he was supposed to appear and that the prosecution had failed to prove that he did not show up by mistake or accident.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against him in August 2022.
Navarro was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress: the first for refusing to respond to a request to testify before the House committee investigating the assault on the Capitol and the second for failing to turn over requested documents to the House committee.
Each of these charges carries a minimum penalty of 30 days, a maximum of one year in jail, and a fine of up to $100,000.
The committee that investigated the assault on Capitol Hill was created by the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, and comprised seven Democratic congress members and two Republicans at odds with Trump: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
The parliamentary committee concluded in December 2022 that Trump obstructed an official proceeding and incited or supported an insurrection, in addition to conspiring to defraud the federal government and to make false statements to the Administration.
Navarro was tried in Washington, and his lawyers said Thursday, after learning of the verdict, that the case will not be resolved in federal court but in the Court of Appeals, where they plan to file their appeal.
The former Trump adviser refused to cooperate with the committee because the now-former president invoked the doctrine of “executive privilege,” meaning certain information cannot be disclosed without his permission. EFE
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