(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A Clinton-appointed federal judge has issued a dire warning to Peter Navarro, the former director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, for failing to turn over documents to the ill-famed National Archives.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly threatened to hold Navarro in contempt of court, asserting that it is “clear” he possesses presidential records that “have not been produced to their rightful owner, the United States,” Politico reported Tuesday.
Kollar-Kotelly gave Navarro until March 21 to review logs of missing documents. However, Navarro denounced the order, alleging it is part of a “collusive civil suit to force disclosure” of documents that could have been used in a separate but related context of a Congress indictment.
“The DOJ came after me because I allegedly didn’t produce ‘clearly personal’ records regarding my work on the integrity of the 2020 election,” Navarro said on Twitter. “Now, that same “government” tells me that those emails are Presidential Records and seeks to hold me in contempt for withholding them as personal?”
As usual, woke reporters like @RebeccaShabad and @dnlbrns fail to contact me for comment and miss the real meaning of the story. Here’s my statement and the buried lead. Spoiler Alert: Ruling is GOOD for @realDonaldTrump
Just as with President Trump, a weaponized National…
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) February 20, 2024
The court threat comes less than a month after a federal jury convicted Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress charges stemming from his refusal to turn over documents to the defunct House Jan. 6 Committee. Navarro was sentenced to four months in federal prison, a term he described as a “death sentence” given his age.
“The hypocrisy of the DOJ and National Archives speaks volumes not just of my prosecution but that of President Trump,” Navarro continued.
The National Archives is at the center of a criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump over the retention of documents that Trump claims are his personal records. On the other hand, Special Counsel Jack Smith argued that the documents contain classified information and that Trump does not have the authority to retain such government records.
The National Archives came under fire for seemingly not noticing President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents. Investigators revealed that Biden held classified documents after the National Archives eyed Trump’s documents.
The National Archives’ newfound interest in protecting classified documents in the Trump case has raised concerns about selective prosecution and the perception of a two-tier justice system.
Biden did not face charges after Special Counsel Robert Hur cited Biden’s age and apparent mental fragility as reasons why a jury would likely side with the president.
Unlike Trump, Biden never had the authority to declassify documents but retained them for several years until the appointment of Hur as special counsel.
