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Former Trump administration official Peter Navarro is facing yet another uphill court battle after repeatedly ignoring the feds’ demands that he turn over official emails sent from a personal account because prosecutors wouldn’t guarantee him immunity, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Navarro began his work in the Trump White House on the former president’s first day in office, and remained until the last. He spent the first few months of 2017 as deputy assistant to the president and director of the National Trade Council, then was appointed director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. In March 2020, Trump directed Navarro to coordinate the federal government’s use of the Defense Production Act to respond to the spreading COVID-19 outbreak.
Under the Presidential Records Act (PRA), Navarro and all other similarly situated officials are required to preserve all official communications, which are considered the property of the United States, the 52-page lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice explains.