Peter Navarro Pleads Not Guilty to Contempt of Congress Charges

Former White House adviser Peter Navarro pleaded not guilty to contempt of Congress charges after being indicted on charges of refusing to cooperate with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Navarro, who entered the not guilty plea on Friday, has also reportedly hired defense lawyers in preparation for his trial in which he is accused of withholding key documents from the House panel and failing to appear for a deposition. The 72-year-old, who says he is representing himself, lambasted the FBI for the way it handled his arrest when he was taken into custody on June 3 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“This is not the way that America is supposed to function,” Navarro said at the time. “No American should be treated the way these people treated me today.”

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Navarro was subpoenaed by the House committee in February, but he refused to cooperate, citing executive privilege invoked by former President Donald Trump, prompting a contempt of Congress vote against him in April.

The former adviser was planning to fly to Nashville at the time of his arrest, accusing prosecutors of engaging in a “preemptive strike” because of his lawsuit against the Jan. 6 committee arguing the panel was illegitimate. He accused law enforcement of using leg irons and sticking him in a cell when they arrested him.

While Navarro has refused to testify in front of the committee, he has made several media appearances and has even written a book detailing his conversations with Trump in the weeks following the 2020 election, including plans to keep the former president in office.

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Navarro is the second of Trump’s allies to face criminal contempt charges after former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was indicted last year. Navarro’s attorneys have signaled they’re watching that case closely as they prepare their legal defense.

Navarro was indicted on two counts of contempt and faces between 30 days and one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 per charge if convicted.