Ex-Trump White House adviser Navarro heads to trial over contempt charges
By Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Former President Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro arrived at court on Tuesday for a trial on two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress, after refusing to testify or provide documents to the U.S. congressional investigation of the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Navarro, a China hawk who advised Republican Trump on trade issues and also served on the White House COVID-19 task force, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jury selection will begin on Tuesday in the trial. It is unclear when opening statements will take place.
Upon arriving at court, Navarro said the case was about executive privilege and the constitutional separation of powers. He also made an appeal for donations to his legal defense fund.
«I am the first senior White House adviser ever to be charged with this crime,» he said.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack wanted to ask him about a «Green Bay Sweep» plan to delay Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory that Navarro later detailed in a book he wrote after leaving the White House.
The committee ultimately issued the findings from its investigation in December 2022 without getting the chance to interview Navarro.
Earlier this year, Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump criminally for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat after making false claims of fraud.
Navarro has maintained that his refusal to testify or provide documents demanded by a congressional subpoena was sparked by Trump's invocation of executive privilege, a legal doctrine that shields certain White House communications from disclosure.
He was not able to get Trump to testify and
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