Jan. 6 panel makes case for contempt charges for 2 former Trump aides
US Capitol riots
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol released a report Sunday laying out reasons to charge two allies of former President Donald Trump's with criminal contempt of Congress for their participation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and their subsequent refusal to comply with the panel’s subpoenas.
In a 34-page report, the panel argued that the allies — Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser, and Dan Scavino Jr., a former deputy chief of staff — were closely involved in efforts to keep Trump in power even after he lost decisively at the polls.
The committee is set to hold a public vote on whether to recommend the charges Monday. A contempt of Congress charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail. A recommendation from the panel would send the matter to the full House, which would then have to vote to refer the charge to the Justice Department.
Navarro and Scavino are among a handful of Trump’s closest allies who have refused to sit for interviews or turn over documents even as more than 750 witnesses — including other top White House officials — have complied with the committee’s requests.
The committee said Navarro had worked with Steve Bannon, another Trump ally, to carry out a plan to delay Congress’ certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021, and ultimately change the election’s outcome. Navarro said more than 100 members of Congress had signed on to the plan.
Navarro also wrote a report alleging a stolen election, which was widely shared with others working to overturn the election. Navarro claimed Trump “himself had distributed Volume 1 of the report to every member of the House and Senate” before Jan. 6, 2021.
The committee issued a subpoena in February to Navarro, but he said he would not comply, citing Trump’s invocation of executive privilege over White House materials from his time in office.
When committee staff members emailed him seeking his lawyer’s name, he replied: “No counsel. Executive privilege.”
The committee argues that Navarro’s work trying to overturn the election was not a part of his official duties and not covered by executive privilege.
As for Scavino, the committee said he had worked with Trump to spread false information via social media regarding election fraud and had recruited a crowd to Washington on that Jan. 6.