Washington: Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to former US President Donald Trump, has been convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House select committee probing the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Navarro is the second former aide to Trump to be prosecuted for his lack of cooperation with the committee, reports CNN.
The case of former strategist Steve Bannon, who was convicted last year on two contempt counts, is currently on appeal.
Navarro, who up to a year in prison for each of the two contempt counts, has pledged to appeal based on executive privilege issues.
Describing the vedict as as a “sad day for America”, he said: “For the first time in the history of our republic, that a senior White House adviser, an alter ego of the president, has ever been charged with this alleged crime.”
“We knew going in what the verdict was going to be. That is why this is going to the appeals court,” CNN quoted the former aide as saying to reporters outside the courthouse in Washington D.C. on Thursday.
“And we feel – look, I said from the beginning this is going to the Supreme Court. I said from the beginning I’m willing to go to prison to settle this issue, I’m willing to do that.”
Asked by CNN if he had spoken to his former boss or reached out for help on legal bills, Navarro said: “President Trump has been a rock in terms of assistance. We talk when we need to talk. He will win the presidential race in 2024, in November. You know why? Because the people are tired of Joe Biden weaponising courts like this and the Department of Justice.”
US District Judge Amit Mehta has scheduled Navarro’s sentencing for January 12, 2024.
Navarro was served with a subpoena by a US House of Representatives select committee in February 2022, reports the BBC.
But he did not hand over any of the requested emails or documents or appear to testify before the Democratic-led panel.
The committee wanted to question Navarro about efforts to delay certification of the 2020 election, according to a former staff director for the panel who testified in court.
In addition to a maximum sentence of a year in prison for each count, he also faces fines of up to $100,000.
(IANS)
