Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro to be sentenced for contempt of Congress related to House probe into January 6

A federal judge in Washington, DC, will sentence former Donald Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena related to the congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.

Navarro was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress in September for not complying with a subpoena from the House select committee that investigated the attack.

Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one month in prison, but prosecutors have asked US District Judge Amit Mehta to sentence Navarro to six months for each count – running concurrently – and fine him $200,000.

They told the judge last week that a sentence of one month apiece for the two counts “is insufficient to account for, punish, and deter the Defendant’s criminal offenses,” arguing that Navarro’s decision to not comply with the subpoenas was akin to the conduct of some of the people who participated in the riot.

“The Defendant, like the rioters at the Capitol, put politics, not country, first, and stonewalled Congress’s investigation,” prosecutors wrote. “The Defendant chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over the rule of law.”

Navarro’s conviction and sentence – no matter how severe – will represent another key victory for the now-disbanded House January 6 committee in its efforts to have the Justice Department criminally pursue individuals who refused to cooperate with its probe.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was convicted in 2022 on two contempt counts and later sentenced to four months in prison. Bannon’s case is currently on appeal.

Navarro’s attorneys are seeking a sentence of no more than six months of probation for each count, and they asked Mehta last week to pause the sentence he imposes as they appeal the conviction.

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