‘I was a distinguished public servant’: Navarro goes on ‘lengthy rant’ about FBI handcuffing, arresting him at the airport
Former top Trump White House aide Peter Navarro is reportedly outraged after being arrested at the airport Friday morning, instead of at his home, telling a federal judge he had been a “distinguished public servant,” apparently in an effort to allege prosecutorial misconduct.
Navarro, who has repeatedly promoted Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the election was stolen, and is the architect of the “Green Bay Sweep,” a plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election, was indicted by a federal grand jury on contempt of Congress charges.
But as CNN’s Paul Reid notes, not only has Navarro been indicted, he has been arrested and remains in custody.
“This is unusual for a contempt case,” Reid says.
Civil liberties and national security journalist Marcy Wheeler adds Navarro complained to the judge he had been handcuffed and put in a jail cell:
\u201cNavarro: I actually live right next to FBI. Literally right next to FBI. What did they do? Let me get all the way to the airport. Board the play. Come at me. Put me in handcuffs. Put me in a jail cell. I was more than willing to find modus vivendi.\u201d— emptywheel (@emptywheel) 1654283510
“Navarro has been representing himself,” Reid added, and “has been publicly complaining about FBI’s ‘loud’ service of [a] subpoena at his home last week.”
“Prosecutors initially asked for Navarro indictment to be under seal citing the possibility he could flee or tamper with witnesses or evidence,” Reid says.
While last week Navarro was angered the FBI served him a subpoena at his home, on Friday he was angered he was arrested at the airport, and reportedly specifically complained to the judge he was “arrested at the door of an airplane.”
“Navarro is on a lengthy rant about his treatment by the FBI,” National Law Journal’s Andrew Goudsward reports.
“I was a distinguished public servant for four years,” he says. “No one ever complained about my ethics.”
Goudsward also says:
\u201c"This is something that needs to get to the Supreme Court," Navarro tells magistrate judge, complaining that Jan. 6 committee subpoena was unenforceable\u201d— Andrew Goudsward (@Andrew Goudsward) 1654273866
Attorney Teri Kanefield confirms Navarro says he was handcuffed:
\u201cNavarro: "There are bigger things at play than whether I go to prison and that's why I'm standing here."\n\nHe's still rambling, presenting himself as a victim: "They handcuffed me. They didn't let me use my phone . . .who are these people? This is not America."\n\nGoodness.\u201d— Teri Kanefield (@Teri Kanefield) 1654283669
A New York Times reporter quotes Navarro:
\u201c"I want you to understand, sir," Navarro tells the judge, "what kind of hardball these people are playing."\u201d— Alan Feuer (@Alan Feuer) 1654282672
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