Subpoena suggests the DOJ may be investigating Trump himself
This subpoena suggests that the Department of Justice may be investigating Trump himself since a federal grand jury was convened and is now wanting to talk to the former President’s closest allies.
Navarro, former White House aide to Donald Trump announced that he has been subpoenaed and has been asked to appear before a federal grand jury later this week. He was also asked to turn over all documents related to Jan 6. Insurrection, including “any communications with former President Trump and/or his counsel or representative.
Navarro has prepared a draft lawsuit, which stated that he also planned to file a case against the House committee investigating the riot. Navarro shared this with NBC news that the subpoena is “unlawful and unenforceable”. According to the draft lawsuit which Navarro began circulating on Monday, he claimed that “two FBI special agents banged loudly on my door in the early morning hours” and handed him the subpoena signed by Matthew Graves, US attorney of Washington DC.
The Lincoln project recently make a video of Navarro admitting to a plan to overthrow the government live on ‘The Beat’ on MSNBC. Here is the clip:
Last month, Navarro was one of the people who was referred to the Department of Justice on a criminal contempt of Congress charge. Since the subpoena is based on the House committee’s subpoena, Navarro claims that it is tainted and should be “thrown out by a judge”. Navarro didn’t immediately respond to the subpoena and whether he’s going to testify.
Since we are talking about Trump’s ally, there’s obviously going to be “executive privilege” involved and that’s what Navarro is also claiming. One of his legal arguments is that he can’t be forced to speak because Donald Trump hasn’t renounced the “executive privilege” regarding their communications. In fact, the House panel argues that Navarro blatantly and publicly boasted about plans to overturn the 2020 elections and even went far to publish a book about this plan called the “Green Bay Sweep”. Navarro claims that his strategy “was designed as the ‘last, best chance to snatch a stolen election from the Democrats’ jaws of deceit.”
Basically, Navarro’s plan was to have lawmakers from six key states dispute the results and in turn that would lead Congress to announce the results to be debatable. And this move would have led the House to choose the next president based on each congressional delegation getting one vote. Since, the Republicans controlled more state delegations than Democrats, Trump would have had a second term in office, according to Navarro. He even claims that Trump was “on board with the strategy.”
It’s still unclear whether Navarro plans to testify before the grand jury, however, he has also refused to provide a copy of the subpoena. Not only Navarro, but Steve Bannon, was also charged with criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the panel’s subpoena. Even Bannon hasn’t received a grand jury subpoena.
This is by far the most aggressive move against Trump and his allies that have involvement in the riot. The House panel has stated that there’s no proof of any “executive privilege” that prevented Navarro from providing documents or testimony and that he was required to still appear and could claim privilege on a question-by-question basis.
The 88-page draft copy also states that this “executive privilege” should apparently be given more weight than Biden’s decision- an argument and nonexistent privilege that has been claimed by many other Trump allies, including Bannon, Meadows and Scavino.
A federal appeals court ruled in January, a ruling also upheld by the Supreme Court that even if Trump were still in office, the investigation on the riot and his efforts to overturn the elections would prevail over executive privileges for documents related to the investigation.
Navarro also states that even if in case the panel overcomes Trump’s alleged privileges, then “ just imagine what will happen to Joe Biden and his advisers if Republicans win both the White House and House in 2024. In fact, I don’t need to imagine this repeat of the strategic game,”. He wrote, “If I’m not dead or in prison, I will lead the charge.”
Navarro stated that he is considering pleading the Fifth, however, viewed it as a “dishonorable” method to avoid criminal charges.