House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Wednesday that the House will consider contempt referrals for Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, aides to former President Donald Trump, as soon as next week.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol unanimously recommended earlier this week that Navarro and Scavino be held in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with its subpoenas.
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The panel’s recommendation came shortly after it released a 34-page report detailing what it said demonstrated that Navarro and Scavino have firsthand knowledge of the events leading up to the riot and Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election.
Both former aides have claimed that executive privilege, a concept granting some confidentiality to executive branch employees, means they do not need to comply with the panel’s investigation. Lawmakers on the panel disputed those claims and said the concept does not negate congressional subpoenas. At a Monday meeting, Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel’s vice chairwoman, said Navarro in particular wrote a book “boasting about his role in planning and coordinating the activity of Jan. 6, and yet he does not have the courage to testify here.”
Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said he expects the House will vote on the contempt referrals next week.
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Asked about reports members of the committee are impatient to see criminal charges brought against previous individuals who have been held in contempt or otherwise stemming from their investigation, Hoyer said he is impatient to see such charges but believes Attorney General Merrick Garland is conducting reviews “thoughtfully, making sure he has all the facts.”
