The FBI on Friday arrested former Trump adviser Peter Navarro as he was boarding a plane at Reagan International Airport in Washington D.C. A federal grand jury had indicted Navarro on charges of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before the partisan Jan. 6 committee, which is investigating what the Department of Justice calls a “domestic terrorist attack” on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. That was a protest of the election that turned riotous inside the U.S. Capitol, leading to the death of one unarmed protester, who was shot by Capitol police.
Navarro was placed in handcuffs and leg irons at the airport and taken to court for his first appearance. He told the judge that he was going to Nashville for a media event. He was then put in jail.
“What they did to me today violates the Constitution,” Navarro told reporters outside the courthouse.
During the Trump Administration, Navarro was assistant to the president, director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Justice had earlier indicted former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee; Bannon’s trial is scheduled for July 18. The Justice Department has declined to indict Mark Meadows, President Trump’s last chief of staff, and Dan Scavino, the deputy chief of staff for communications.
Navarro, 72, has been charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another charge involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol.
“In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Navarro had information relevant to its investigation. Navarro, formerly an advisor to the President on various trade and manufacturing policies, has been a private citizen since departing the White House on Jan. 20, 2021,” the Department of Justice wrote.
Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, according to the Department of Justice.
The indictment can be read here:
