J6 Committee Queuing Up More Contempt Charges Against Trump Staff
The January 6th select committee continues to work under the weight of the impending midterm elections, knowing fully well that a “red wave” in that contest would see their probe shut down, and with a quickness.
Perhaps that is why so many of their recent actions have come with a significant air of desperation. They know that their time is limited, and the culmination of their work will almost certainly coincide with the conclusion of that contest.
This week, the desperation continues, as the committee queues up still more charges for former Trump staffers who’ve refused to testify before the group.
The Jan. 6 select committee is seeking criminal prosecution for two of Donald Trump’s top White House aides, saying they illegally defied subpoenas.
The panel announced Thursday that it will commence contempt proceedings Monday against Dan Scavino, Jr. and Peter Navarro. If the matter is approved by the committee, the full House would then vote on whether to make a formal referral to the Justice Department. Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. would then decide whether or not to file charges.
Scavino is one of Trump’s longest-serving and closest aides. He handled social media for the former president and is regarded as a trusted ally. He was in the White House with Trump during the Jan. 6 attack, the committee has said, and was also one of the first people the panel subpoenaed, back on Sept. 23.
Scavino has already been in the thick of it as far as the committee is concerned.
Scavino’s attorney, former House general counsel Stan Brand, declined to comment. Scavino has already sued to block the committee’s subpoena of his phone records from Verizon.
As with a great many previously-subpoenaed Trump confidantes, Scavino and Navarro are in legal limbo regarding the utilization of executive privilege, as Trump and his legal team continue to fight to exert the right. The execution of these contempt charges while that issue is not truly settled has become a regular feature of the work of the J6 committee.
