Former US President Donald Trump’s erstwhile advisor on trade Peter Navarro was found guilty by a federal grand jury Thursday of contempt of Congress as he did not testify before the House of Representatives committee probing into the January 6 riots, but he said to appeal the verdict.
The 72-year-old was found guilty on two counts in Washington after a two-day trial.
Navarro had refused to appear for a deposition before the committee and also declined to supply documents to the panel.
Peter Navarro, who is an economist, is the second close ally of Donald Trump to be convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House committee.
Steve Bannon, one of the masterminds behind Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and victory, was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in July of last year.
Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison in October but remains at liberty pending an appeal.
Navarro, speaking to reporters following his conviction, said it was a “sad day for America” and he would also appeal the verdict.
“This case is not over by a long shot,” he said.
Trump is scheduled to go on trial in Washington in March on charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the November 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
He faces similar charges in a separate case in the southern state of Georgia.
In a recent book, Navarro described creating a plan after the election called the “Green Bay sweep,” a reference to American football, to reverse President Biden’s victory by blocking confirmation in the House.
He wrote that Trump was “on board with the strategy.”
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also refused subpoenas from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack but has not been charged with contempt of Congress.
Meadows claimed that as a former top advisor to the president, he had immunity from being compelled to testify to the committee — a defense that was unsuccessfully advanced by Navarro and Bannon.
