U.S. House expected to back contempt charges against former Trump aides

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve “contempt of Congress” charges on Wednesday against Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino, two former aides to ex-President Donald Trump, over their failure to cooperate with the probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Navarro, a former trade adviser to Trump, and Scavino, who was a deputy chief of staff, did not comply with subpoenas to appear before the House Select Committee probing the attack.

Approval by the House, where Democrats hold a slim majority of seats, would refer the matter to the Department of Justice for a decision on whether to press criminal charges.

Contempt of Congress bears a penalty of up to a year’s imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000.

The House backed contempt of Congress charges last year for Steve Bannon, a Trump advisor. He was charged in a case set to go to trial in July. The House also voted in favor of a contempt charge for Mark Meadows, a former House member who became Trump’s chief of staff, but there has been no word from Justice on whether charges will be filed.

The Democratic-led Select Committee has been investigating events leading to the assault on the seat of the U.S. government by thousands of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, when Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers gathered to certify Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 election.

Mobs rampaged through the Capitol, injuring police officers and sending Pence, lawmakers, staff and journalists scurrying for safety, after Trump repeated his false claims at a raucous rally that his defeat was the result of fraud.

Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer who fought with rioters died the next day. Four officers have since taken their own lives.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)