White Area business adviser Peter Navarro listens to a information convention a few presidential government order on the subject of army veterans outdoor of the West Wing of the White Area in Washington, March 4, 2019.
Leah Millis | Reuters
The Area of Representatives voted Wednesday to refer former Trump aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino to the Justice Division for felony contempt of Congress.
The solution handed in a 220-203 vote, with simplest two Republicans vote casting in prefer of the referral. Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable through as much as a yr in prison and fines of as much as $100,000.
Each Navarro and Scavino snubbed subpoenas from the Area Jan. 6 committee to testify and switch over paperwork related to remaining yr’s assault at the U.S. Capitol that disrupted the 2020 electoral vote rely all the way through a joint consultation of Congress.
The committee has mentioned Navarro, a business adviser all the way through the Trump management, and Scavino, who served as White Area deputy leader of personnel, “performed key roles within the ex-president’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.”
The panel has famous that Navarro publicly boasted about plans to upend the 2020 election effects and printed a e book remaining yr by which he referred to the plan because the “Inexperienced Bay Sweep.”
Scavino, who ran then-President Donald Trump’s social media, used to be one of the crucial first folks subpoenaed through the committee remaining yr. The panel mentioned Scavino labored with Trump as a part of his “marketing campaign to opposite the election effects. This marketing campaign incorporated, amongst different issues, spreading false data by means of social media relating to alleged election fraud and recruiting a crowd to Washington for the occasions of January sixth.”
A file issued through the committee remaining month mentioned each Navarro and Scavino have cited “government privilege” as their explanation why for now not cooperating with the panel, arguing simplest Trump can waive that privilege of their circumstances, even if President Joe Biden has already carried out so.
In a observation after the committee voted to ship the contempt referral to the overall Area, Navarro maintained that his place is proper.
“The Choose Committee’s witch hunt is based at the ridiculous criminal premise that Joe Biden can waive Donald Trump’s Govt Privilege. The Ideally suited Court docket will say another way when the time comes — because it definitely should — and the DOJ is aware of such nonsense would intestine Govt Privilege and the essential position it performs in efficient presidential choice making,” Navarro mentioned then.
Area Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., mentioned forward of the vote that the committee used to be “criminalizing dissent,” and argued the subpoena to Scavino used to be overly vast.
“Democrats are threatening to throw in prison a just right guy who is carried out not anything however try to practice the regulation, just because he is President Trump’s closest aide. Mr. Scavino does now not deserve that,” McCarthy mentioned.
The Area has already voted in prefer of felony referrals for 2 different officers who defied the panel’s subpoenas — former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and previous White Area leader of personnel Mark Meadows.
The Justice Division acted at the Bannon advice, which it does now not all the time do. Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt and may just resist a yr in jail and a $100,000 fantastic if he’s convicted. He has pleaded now not accountable and is scheduled to face trial in July.
The Justice Division has now not acted at the Meadows referral, which handed the Area in December.
