Peter Navarro, the former trade advisor to President Donald Trump, has been sentenced to four months in prison for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta was terse and concise as he handed down the sentence Thursday, describing Navarro’s refusal to testify or provide documents to the panel as an affront to a branch of government seeking to understand a harrowing attack on democracy.
The Judge went on to chastise Navarro for his intransigence, saying, “In all of this, even today, there is little acknowledgement of what your obligation is as an American to cooperate with Congress, to provide them with information they are seeking.”
Mehta added, “They had a job to do. And you made it harder. It’s really that simple.”
Navarro is known for his hawkish views on China and his advocacy for protectionist trade policies. He has written several books on China’s economic and military rise, such as The Coming China Wars, Death by China, and Crouching Tiger. He has also been a vocal critic of the World Health Organization and its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing it of being influenced by China and covering up the origin of the virus.
Navarro has been described as a controversial figure both within and outside the Trump administration, as his views often clashed with those of other officials and experts. He was also involved in several disputes and lawsuits over his role in the White House and his involvement in the 2020 presidential election and has continued to spread the Big Lie, that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
