Peter Navarro's Sentencing Has People Talking About This Subpoena-Dodger
As Leah covered earlier on Thursday, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine for his refusal to honor a subpoena from the January 6 select committee. Such a setencing had people not only talking about Navarro and the select committee, but about Hunter Biden. The first son was supposed to have appeared for closed-door testimony on December 13, but instead gave a press conference on the Senate side of the Capitol and then went on his way.
In addition to "Peter Navarro," there's been trends over X such as "And Hunter" and "Where's Hunter" to highlight people's concerns with such unequal treatment when it comes to defying subpoenas. "Eric Holder" has also trending, as the Republican-controlled House voted in 2012 to hold Obama's attorney general in contempt of Congress after he refused to turn over documents in the Fast and Furious scandal. His Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to bring charges though.
Last year, Hunter had received subpoenas to appear for closed-door testimony. He offered to appear for public testimony, but House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) shot down that idea. Comer, along with House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) made clear to Hunter and his attorney Abbe Lowell that Hunter was still expected to appear for his December 13 testimony.
Instead, Hunter Biden showed up to the Senate side of the Capitol that day, gave prepared remarks to the press without taking questions, and left. The space was reserved by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who is actually a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
On January 10, the Oversight and Judiciary Committees held markups to hold Hunter in contempt, with Lowell later calling upon the chairmen to reissue subpoenas.
Hunter's "sugar brother," friend, and attorney Kevin Morris provided testimony last week. That transcript was made public on Tuesday, and towards the end of the interview, Morris was asked about though he would not speak to the documentary project that Morris and Hunter Biden are working on.
This included when asked "did you do any filming at all when you were on the Capitol Hill on December 13th of 2023 instead of Hunter Biden being at the deposition?" Morris’ attorneys insisted that that was privileged. Counsel conducting the interview did point out that that "also… goes to the question of, you know, obstructing our work" when it comes to the committees looking to hear from Hunter.
Morris said that he had been filming for legal proceedings, but he and "partners" have not yet decided if it will be used for the documentary project.
Although Morris was with Hunter during his brief appearance at the House Oversight Committee’s markup on January 10 to hold him in contempt, his attorney Bryan Sullivan claimed that "that is outside of the scope." Morris wouldn’t even speak to when he learned that Hunter decided to make that appearance, again citing attorney-client privilege, although he and his attorneys teased that he might "someday" be able to, "[i]f Hunter lets him." Morris and his attorneys would not answer as to if there was any filming at the December 13 press conference or when Hunter appeared for the markup.
Other transcribed interviews from Mervyn Yan and Rob Walker are expected to be released soon.
What's the latest with Hunter? He's set to provide testimony on February 28. He already caved by agreeing to show up. Continuing to focus on holding him in contempt would seem particularly tempting to send a message, but it's also key to get his testimony when it comes to any insight he may be able to provide about the Biden crime family. In an episode of "The Verdict" from earlier this month, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) urged House Republicans to focus on getting the testimony, with Cruz emphasizing that the focus ought to be on President Joe Biden.
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