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u.s. news Diasabra 4 Juni 2022

Former Trump aide Navarro indicted for defying Jan. 6 panel

WASHINGTON (AP) cable.” If convicted, each ment’s sprawling probe into
— Former Trump White charge carries a minimum the deadly insurrection at the
House official Peter Na- sentence of a month in jail U.S. Capitol.
varro was indicted Friday and a maximum of a year be- “This was a preemtive strike
on contempt charges after hind bars. by the prosecution against
defying a subpoena from The indictment underscores that lawsuit,” Navarro told
the House panel investi- that the Justice Department Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui
gating the Jan. 6 attack on is continuing to pursue crim- during his court appearance.
the U.S. Capitol. inal charges against Trump “It simply flies in the face of
associates who have attempt- good faith and due process.”
Navarro is former President ed to impede or stonewall the Navarro, who was a trade
Donald Trump’s second aide work of congressional inves- adviser to Trump, said he
to be charged with contempt tigators examining the most was served the subpoena
of Congress for refusing to significant attack on U.S. de- by the FBI at his Washing-
cooperate with the Jan. 6, mocracy in decades. ton, D.C., home last week.
2021, investigation. His ar- The Justice Department and The subpoena was the first
rest comes months after the Attorney General Merrick known instance of prosecu- ers” since Trump entered of- of people who had rebuffed
indictment of former White Garland have faced pressure tors seeking testimony from fice. the committee’s requests and
House adviser Steve Bannon. to move more quickly to de- someone who worked in the Members of the select com- subpoenas for information.
Navarro, 72, was charged cide whether to prosecute Trump White House as they mittee sought testimony The Justice Department has
with one contempt count for other Trump aides who have investigate the attack. Pros- from Navarro about his not yet moved forward with
failing to appear for a deposi- similarly defied subpoenas ecutors said the indictment public efforts to help Trump charges against Scavino or
tion before the House com- from the House panel. was handed down Thursday overturn the 2020 presiden- Meadows, who initially co-
mittee and a second charge The indictment alleges that night. tial election, including a call operated with the commit-
for failing to produce docu- Navarro, when summoned Navarro made the case in trying to persuade state legis- tee, turning over more than
ments the committee re- to appear before the commit- his lawsuit Tuesday that lators to join their efforts. 2,000 text messages sent and
quested. tee for a deposition, refused the House select commit- The former economics pro- received in the days lead-
During an initial court ap- to do so and instead told the tee investigating the attack fessor was one of the White ing up to and of the attack.
pearance on Friday, Navarro panel that because Trump is unlawful and therefore a House staffers who promot- But in December, Meadows
alleged that the Justice De- had invoked executive privi- subpoena it issued to him in ed Trump’s baseless claims of ceased cooperation. Federal
partment had committed lege, “my hands are tied.” February is unenforceable mass voter fraud. Trump, in prosecutors have not yet in-
“prosecutorial misconduct” After committee staff told under law. turn, promoted a lengthy re- dicated whether he too will
and said that he was told he him they believed there He filed the suit against port Navarro released in De- be charged.
could not contact anyone af- were topics he could discuss members of the committee, cember 2020, which Navarro Despite the opposition from
ter was approached by an FBI without raising any execu- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- falsely claimed contained several Trump allies, the Jan.
agent at the airport on Friday tive privilege concerns, Na- Calif., and the U.S. attorney evidence of the alleged mis- 6 panel, comprised of seven
and put in handcuffs. He said varro again refused, direct- in Washington, Matthew M. conduct and election fraud Democrats and two Repub-
he was arrested while trying ing the committee to nego- Graves, whose office is now “more than sufficient” to licans, has managed to inter-
to board a flight to Nashville, tiate directly with lawyers handling the criminal case swing victory to his former view more than 1,000 wit-
Tennessee, for a television for Trump, according to the against him. boss. nesses about the insurrection
appearance. indictment. The committee In an interview with The As- Navarro has refused to co- in the past 11 months and is
“Who are these people? This went ahead with its sched- sociated Press this week, Na- operate with the committee, now preparing for a series of
is not America,” Navarro uled deposition on March 2, varro said the goal of his law- and he and fellow Trump public hearings to begin next
said. “I was a distinguished but Navarro did not attend. suit is much broader than the adviser Dan Scavino were week. Lawmakers on the
public servant for four years!” The indictment came days subpoenas themselves, part found in contempt of Con- panel hope the half-dozen
During the hearing, he said after Navarro revealed in a of an effort to have “the Su- gress in April. hearings will be a high-pro-
the House committee was a court filing that he also had preme Court address a num- Members of the committee file airing of the causes and
“sham committee” and that been subpoenaed to appear ber of issues that have come made their case at the time consequences of the domes-
prosecutors were “playing before a grand jury this week with the weaponization of that Scavino and Navarro tic attack on the U.S. govern-
hardball” and were “despi- as part of the Justice Depart- Congress’ investigatory pow- were among just a handful ment.

Special Olympics drops vaccine rule after $27M fine threat

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ence in Orlando.
— The Special Olympics has The Florida health depart-
dropped a coronavirus vac- ment notified the Special
cine mandate for its games in Olympics of the fine in a
Orlando after Florida moved letter Thursday that said the
to fine the organization $27.5 organization would be fined
million for violating a state $27.5 million for 5,500 viola-
law against such rules. tions of state law for requir-
Republican Gov. Ron DeSan- ing proof of coronavirus
tis on Friday announced the vaccination for attendees or
organization had removed participants. Florida law bars
the requirement for its com- businesses from requiring
petition in the state, which is documentation of a COV-
scheduled to run June 5 to ID-19 vaccination. DeSantis
June 12. has strongly opposed vaccine
“In Florida, we want all of mandates and other virus
them to be able to compete. policies endorsed by the fed-
We do not think it’s fair or eral government.
just to be marginalizing some In a statement on its website,
of these athletes based on a the Special Olympics said
decision that has no bearing people who were registered
on their ability to compete but unable to participate be-
with honor or integrity,” De- cause of the mandate can
Santis said at a news confer- now attend.