Ex-Trump adviser convicted of contempt of Congress
A former Trump aide has been convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
By ignoring a congressional subpoena, Navarro acted “above the law,” prosecutors said.
In each of the two contempt charges, he faces up to a year in prison.
Last year, former strategist Steve Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress.
He promised to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court outside the court in Washington DC on Thursday.
A senior White House adviser, an alter ego of the president, has never been charged with this crime in the history of our nation,” he said.
For more than 50 years, the Justice Department has prohibited senior White House advisers from testifying before Congress, he argued.
Following a two-day trial, the 12-member jury found him guilty after four hours of deliberation.
He is also appealing, and his attorneys are seeking a mistrial, alleging that jurors encountered protesters while deliberating outside the court.
The US House of Representatives select committee served Navarro with a subpoena in February 2022 after he served as senior trade adviser to former President Donald Trump.
He did not provide any of the requested emails or documents, nor did he appear before the Democratic-led panel.
According to a former staff director for the panel who testified in court, the committee had hoped to question Navarro regarding efforts to delay certification of the 2020 election.