The Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to prevent former presidential adviser Peter Navarro from discussing publicly his recent arrest and litigating his legal case "through the media," it was reported.
Navarro, a former aide to then-President Donald Trump, was arrested and indicted Friday on contempt charges after defying a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The DOJ filed a protective order request Wednesday with Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
"DOJ is asking Judge Mehta to quickly enter a protective order to guard against disclosure of evidence in Peter NAVARRO’s case. They say his 'extrajudicial' statements to press and on Tucker Carlson’s show reveal his intent to litigate his case through the media," Politico’s Kyle Cheney tweeted Wednesday morning.
Navarro, 72, was charged with one contempt count for failing to appear for a deposition before the House committee. A second charge was for failing to produce documents the committee requested.
The DOJ took issue with Navarro's comments to the media in front of the courthouse Friday, when, the department said, the defendant "made an almost 18-minute extrajudicial statement about the pending criminal case."
"In his statement, the Defendant accused the Government of misconduct, claimed he was the victim of selective prosecution, and claimed the prosecution was what one would see in 'Stalinist Russia,'" the DOJ filing said.
"The Defendant also discussed the merits of various legal arguments related to the pending charges, including disputing the legal legitimacy of the Committee and its investigation, calling it a 'kangaroo committee.' "
DOJ lawyers also cited Navarro's appearance on Fox News Channel’s "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Monday night, when Navarro "made several extrajudicial statements relating to the pending charges in this case."
"As he did in his post-court statements, the Defendant accused the Government of misconduct, claiming it used a 'terrorist strategy' to arrest him," the filing said.
"He also made claims about the legal merits of the decision to defy the Committee’s subpoena, the legal authority of the Committee, and again called the Committee a 'kangaroo committee.'
Navarro told Newsmax on Tuesday that his arrest had been "beyond appalling."
"I was denied legal advice until I got in front of that magistrate,” he said on "Eric Bolling The Balance." "Everything from illegal aliens to al-Qaida terrorists were treated better than I was that day."
Navarro added that he was stripped-searched, put in leg irons, and placed in solitary confinement.
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