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Peter Navarro, the often combative former Trump adviser who already faces a fall trial on contempt of Congress charges, was sued by the government on Wednesday over his refusal to turn over private emails he allegedly used to conduct business in the White House during the Trump administration.
Navarro, according to court documents filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the National Archives, “has refused to return the presidential records he kept without the grant of immunity for the act of returning these documents.”
The lawsuit alleges the economic adviser is “unlawfully retaining presidential records that are the property of the United States and are part of the permanent historical record of the previous administration.”
An attorney for Navarro did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
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The court filing says the controversy surrounding Navarro’s emails began when a congressional committee reviewing how the government handled the coronavirus pandemic found that Navarro, who often played an outsized role in the public discussion of the Trump’s White House on the response to the pandemic, had used a private email account. to carry out the work of government. From the perspective of the National Archives, these emails were official government records.
After more than a month of discussions on the issue with government lawyers, Navarro’s lawyer told officials they estimated 200 to 250 documents could be considered presidential records.
Separately, Navarro has clashed repeatedly with government officials since his arrest in June on contempt of Congress charges for allegedly refusing to provide testimony or documents to the House select committee investigating the 6 January
Navarro publicly denounced the officers who arrested him, and is due back in court next week as he prepares for a November trial on contempt charges. Another former Trump adviser, Stephen K. Bannon, was convicted last month in a similar case.