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Peter Navarro was guilty two counts of contempt of Congress in federal court in Washington, DC on Thursday.
Trump’s former White House adviser was charged after refusing to comply with a House committee subpoena on Jan. 6. He refused to appear for a deposition and to provide documents.
Before trial, the federal judge hearing the case dismissed Navarro’s claim that Trump had invoked executive privilege for him. Without an obvious defense at trial in a straightforward case, his conviction comes as no surprise.
In a sense, the case was about “a guy who didn’t show up for his testimony,” prosecutor John Crabb said during the trial. But in addition to being “so simple”, it was also “very important”, the prosecutor said, because we are “a nation of laws, and Mr. Navarro acted as if he were above the law “.
Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has set Navarro’s sentencing for January 12, 2024.
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