The Justice Department has dropped its lawsuit against former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, according to the Associated Press. Navarro, whose case was originally filed in 2022 under the direction of the Biden administration, was accused of using an unofficial email account for government work, as well as wrongfully holding presidential records during the first Trump administration. There was no explanation given for why the charges are being dropped.
When asked directly on a RealClearPolitics podcast episode on Monday for the reason Navarro had been the target of such lawsuits and criminal trials, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairmen Chuck Grassley said:
Well, the short answer is political weaponization by the FBI...When the whole government goes after you and concocts a case against you just because they don't like you politically.
Sen. Grassley recently made public a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that "show[s] Biden FBI agents planning and celebrating the indictment of Trump advisor Peter Navarro in 2022." To many Republicans, this is yet another example of political foul play. Donald Trump himself and others in right-leaning political circles have also maintained that the legal actions against Navarro were nothing more than an example of the weaponization of the Biden Justice Department against political opponents.
This comes after Navarro was convicted on criminal charges two years ago for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation regarding January 6th. He served a 4-month prison sentence last year after being found guilty of misdemeanor charges. Standing outside the DC courthouse shortly after his sentencing, he claimed political malfeasance.
Peter Navarro makes statement outside courthouse 👀 pic.twitter.com/RLOkmrrKSV
— Human Dilemma (@HumanDilemma_) September 7, 2023
Navarro was the first White House official to be jailed for contempt of Congress.
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