The Home choose subcommittee on the pandemic has issued a subpoena to Peter Navarro, a senior advisor to former President Trump
Donald TrumpOn The Cash — Biden places oil business on discover The Memo: Gosar censured, however poisonous tradition grows Cleveland’s MLB crew formally altering title to Guardians on Friday MORE, asking for paperwork and a deposition associated to the committee’s investigation into political interference from the previous administration.
Subcommittee chairman Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) alleges Navarro prioritized politics and promoted the lie that the 2020 election was stolen over the COVID-19 response.
Clyburn is alleging Navarro additionally steered thousands and thousands of {dollars} in contracts for pandemic provides to unprepared or politically linked firms, like Eastman Kodak and Phlow.
The subpoena compels Navarro to provide all paperwork and data associated to his involvement within the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic by December 8, and his look at a deposition on December 15.
Clyburn stated Navarro, former President Trump’s deputy assistant and commerce adviser, has refused to voluntarily adjust to repeated requests for paperwork because the choose subcommittee first contacted him on Sept. 14.
Clyburn stated his employees have tried to speak with Navarro greater than a dozen occasions, together with via cellphone calls, voicemail messages, emails, and textual content messages, however they’ve been rebuffed.
“Mr. Navarro has demonstrated his unwillingness to voluntarily cooperate with the Choose Subcommittee’s investigation. Given his central position within the pandemic response, the significance of the Choose Subcommittee’s investigation, and his continued refusal to cooperate voluntarily, this subpoena is critical,” Clyburn stated in a memo.
The Hill has reached out to Navarro for remark.
In line with beforehand launched emails and paperwork within the committee’s investigation, Navarro sounded an early alarm in regards to the scope of the pandemic and urged Trump to maneuver sooner to remain forward of the virus and safe assessments, private protecting tools and different provides.
However he was ignored, and Trump continued to publicly downplay the severity of the virus. Committee Democrats allege Navarro then pursued his personal advert hoc technique for procuring key medical provides, spending greater than $1 billion in federal cash for noncompetitive contracts with little oversight.
Clyburn stated he’s additionally looking for particulars on Navarro’s compliance with federal data legislation and Trump officers’ use of private e-mail accounts.
Clyburn stated the committee suspects Navarro could also be withholding “in depth communication” between himself and different White Home officers that had been despatched via a personal, encrypted e-mail service.
In line with Clyburn, the subcommittee obtained greater than 80 messages associated to the federal government’s coronavirus technique that Navarro despatched to different White Home employees utilizing a private ProtonMail account, and he suspects there are extra.
