Former Trump aide Peter Navarro indicted for contempt of Congress
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A federal grand jury has indicted former Trump administration aide Peter Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress.
The latest: In his first court appearance on Friday, Navarro accused the prosecutors of misconduct, saying that he was allegedly not allowed to make a call from jail and that they did not contact his attorneys, which he had requested.
- Navarro also revealed that he was not arrested at home but at an airport when he was about to go on a trip.
- While he has an attorney that has been assigned to him by the court, Navarro said that he would be speaking for himself.
Catch up fast: Navarro had refused to comply with subpoenas from the House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
- The subpoena had been issued in February, requiring him to appear before the committee in March. Navarro refused to give testimony or produce documents in compliance with the subpoena.
Details: He was charged with one count for refusing to appear for a deposition and another for refusing to produce the documents.
What he's saying: Following his court appearance, Navarro told reporters that the select committee's subpoenas "unenforceable" and "unlawful."
- He added that he is representing himself in the case because he does not want to spend "hundreds of thousands of dollars in my retirement savings on this kind of venture."
The big picture: The select committee has referred multiple members of former President Trump's inner circle to the Justice Department for contempt in hopes of extracting their first-hand accounts and documents, including Dan Scavino and Mark Meadows.
- Former White House strategist Steve Bannon was also referred to the DOJ for contempt and he was indicted by a federal grand jury in November.
What's next: Each count of contempt of Congress is punishable by a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000, according to the DOJ.
- Navarro and a spokesperson for the Jan. 6 select committee didn't immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
