Former Trump adviser Navarro subpoenaed in DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON » Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro revealed in a court filing Tuesday afternoon that he has been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury this week as part of the Justice Department’s sprawling probe into the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Navarro, who was a trade adviser to then-President Donald Trump, said he was served by the FBI at his Washington, D.C., house last week. The subpoena is the first known instance of prosecutors seeking testimony from someone who worked in the Trump White House as they investigate the worst attack on the Capitol in two centuries.
In an 88-page filing, Navarro claims the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack is unlawful and therefore a subpoena it issued to him in February is unenforceable under law. The 72-year-old filed the suit Tuesday against members of the committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the U.S. attorney for D.C., Matthew M. Graves.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Navarro said the goal of his lawsuit is much broader than the subpoenas themselves, part of an effort to have “the Supreme Court address a number of issues that have come with the weaponization of Congress’ investigatory powers” since Trump came to office.
He said he will respond formally to the federal subpoena on Wednesday.
Though the scope of the department’s investigation remains unclear, the subpoena to Navarro could signal that the department is widening its probe to examine the activities and records of people who worked directly for the Republican president.