Jan. 6 committee moves to hold Trump aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt


The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack voted unanimously on Monday night to recommend Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino be referred to the Department of Justice for criminal contempt of Congress charges.
During the Trump administration, Navarro served as a trade adviser and Scavino was White House deputy chief of staff. Both have refused to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee, ignoring subpoenas for their testimonies and documents related to the Capitol riot.
On Sunday night, the committee issued a report stating that Navarro and Scavino have both claimed that because of "executive privilege," they don't have to cooperate with the panel. President Biden has already waived executive privilege in relation to the investigation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In January, Navarro appeared on MSNBC and admitted to host Ari Melber that he concocted a plan called the "Green Bay Sweep" with Stephen Bannon, former President Donald Trump's onetime chief strategist. It was a way to overturn Biden's electoral victory, and Navarro explained that more than 100 members of Congress were prepared to participate, challenging the results in "six battleground states." He said the plan was launched "beautifully" by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), but thwarted by the pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol. Navarro has said that Trump "was on board with the strategy."
The committee's report also stated that Scavino "reportedly attended several meetings" with Trump "in which challenges to the election were discussed," and was part of a campaign to spread false information on social media about "alleged election fraud and recruiting a crowd to Washington for the events of January 6th."
The panel previously voted on criminal referrals for Bannon and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, after they both ignored subpoenas from the committee. The Justice Department has not yet acted on the referral against Meadows, but Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt. He pleaded not guilty, and his trial is expected to begin in July.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
June 29 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the AI genie, Iran saving face, and bad language bombs
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election