Capitol Riot

DOJ seeks 6-month prison term for former Trump adviser convicted of contempt of Congress

Peter Navarro, who worked as a trade adviser in the Trump White House, defied a subpoena to testify before the House Jan. 6 committee.

El exasesor comercial de la Casa Blanca, Peter Navarro, escucha mientras el expresidente Donald Trump habla durante una conferencia de prensa en la Casa Blanca, el 14 de agosto de 2020, en Washington.
Patrick Semansky/AP (File)

The Justice Department wants former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro to spend six months behind bars after being convicted of criminal contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena.

Federal prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday that Navarro “deserves severe punishment” that includes a $200,000 fine in addition to prison time. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan 25.

Navarro, 74, was found guilty last year on two counts of contempt after he rejected a congressional subpoena to testify before the now-defunct Jan. 6 committee and provide relevant documents.

"The Defendant chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over the rule of law," prosecutors wrote in Thursday's sentencing memo.

“He cloaked his bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt behind baseless, unfounded invocations of executive privilege and immunity that could not and would never apply to his situation,” they added.

Lawyers for Navarro did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Justice Department's sentencing request.

Read the full story at NBCNews.com here.

The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol. NBC's Brie Jackson reports.
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