Peter Navarro Faces Contempt of Congress Charges, Hefty Legal Fees
Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro says defending himself against contempt of Congress charges will deplete his net worth, which is estimated at $5 million.
June 9 2022, Published 11:28 a.m. ET
Former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro says defending himself against contempt of Congress charges will deplete his retirement savings. Navarro has a net worth estimated at $5 million.
Peter Navarro
Former Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
Net worth: $5 Million
Peter Navarro is an economist who served as a trade adviser for four years under former President Donald Trump. He was subpoenaed to testify in hearings of the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He has refused and was arrested on contempt of Congress charges.
Age: 72
Education: Harvard University
Books: "Taking Back Trump's America"
Navarro was indicted on June 2 on two counts of contempt of Congress charges by the Department of Justice for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued to him by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
The House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and Trump’s possible role in the event started its public hearings on June 9.
After his arrest, Navarro wrote to Judge Amit Mehta to request a 45-day extension of his arraignment because he's “without legal representation.” He accused the FBI of putting him at a “very severe disadvantage” by refusing to allow him to contact an attorney and providing a public defender just three minutes before he appeared before the magistrate.
“At this point, I am very actively seeking a legal team but am facing a number of hurdles,” Navarro wrote to Judge Mehta, who will be hearing his case on June 17. “My very freedom here is at stake, and I ask for the court’s understanding that it will take time both to find the appropriate representation and time to develop an appropriate legal strategy.”
If convicted, Navarro could be fined up to $100,000 and have to serve up to a year in prison for each count.
Navarro begs people to help him by buying his book.
In an interview on America First with Sebastian Gorka, Navarro begged viewers to buy his book “Taking Back Trump’s America” to help him pay for his legal fees.
“Help me, please. I’m looking at a half million dollars in legal expenses or more. This could go to a million. I’ve got to raise that money. I can’t kill my retirement on these baseless charges,” Navarro said in the interview.
Navarro said he was placed in leg irons and strip-searched when arrested.
Navarro was reportedly arrested in Nashville on June 3 while boarding a plane. In a June 6 interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Navarro said he was placed in leg irons and strip searched during his arrest.
“They didn’t call my attorney. Instead, they went through the shock and awe, and let me go to the airport and then take me with five agents like I’m an Al Qaeda terrorist,” he told Carlson.
Navarro called the Jan. 6 committee a “partisan witch hunt” and “kangaroo committee” that wanted to prevent Trump from running for president again in 2024.
He told Carlson he was subpoenaed “illegally” and that, as a staff member of the former President, he has executive privilege that prevents him from complying with the subpoenas. Last month, Navarro filed a civil lawsuit against the Jan. 6 committee and the Department of Justice.
Trump has defended Navarro.
Trump condemned Navarro’s arrest on his Truth Social social media platform.
“Our great trade genius, Professor Peter Navarro, was just handcuffed, shackled, and put in jail, while the lowlifes [sic] of ANTIFA and BLM are allowed to rip off the public, roam free on the streets, kill people, and destroy our once great cities (all run by Democrats),” the former president said on Truth Social.