[WATCH] But His Emails: DOJ Sues Peter Navarro Over White House Communications

The Department of Justice is suing former White House adviser Peter Navarro for emails he sent from a private account which he used while working for Donald Trump. According to court documents, the DOJ’s lawsuit alleges that Navarro “refused to return any Presidential records that he retained absent a grant of immunity for the act of returning such documents.”

The DOJ says Navarro had used “at least one non-official email account … to send and receive messages constituting Presidential records,” in the court filing. Attorneys also accused him of “wrongfully retaining them” in violation of federal record-keeping laws, as Navarro did not copy the messages into an official government account, nor did he respond to the National Archivist’s initial request for the emails.

It’s an unusual move for the DOJ’s Federal Programs Branch, which typically pursues civil matters, to be involved with “federal records maintenance” from the previous administration. But the growing scandal surrounding wiped texts and other electronic communications that began with a few members of the Secret Service now includes officials at the Pentagon.

He’s boasted about plotting to keep Donald Trump in power. Now, Peter Navarro is facing fresh scrutiny, for allegedly hiding emails from his time in the White House. pic.twitter.com/xwLXoLVY7M

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) August 4, 2022

Navarro had previously been indicted for Contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the January 6th House Select Committee investigating the deadly U.S. Capitol riot, but he has so far refused to give testimony or produce documents in compliance with the subpoena.

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NEWS — The Justice Department is suing former Trump trade official Peter Navarro for "wrongfully retaining Presidential records that are the property of the
United States" https://t.co/FFeDbb3g5D

— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) August 3, 2022