This is an abuse of power.
On Thursday (March 9), a federal judge ordered former President Donald Trump’s ex-trade advisor, Pete Navarro, to turn over hundreds of emails from a personal encrypted account he used while working in the White House during Trump’s administration.
In August, the Department of Justice sued Navarro for emails from the Proton Mail account after the trade advisor wouldn’t turn over the emails without a “grant of immunity.”
Under the Presidential Records Act (PRA), Navarro had to turn over records received or generated during his official capacity as the President.
The Act also applies to records sent or received on an unofficial account.
In response to the Department of Justice’s request, Navarro’s attorneys discovered between roughly 200 to 250 emails qualifying as Presidential records; however, Navarro refused to turn over the communications.
District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who made Thursday’s opinion, rejected Navarro’s arguments that he shouldn’t have to turn over emails on his personal account.
Navarro had claimed he shouldn’t have to turn over the emails because the Presidential Records Act didn’t impose an obligation on him to hand over presidential records as it didn’t convey and explicit mechanism and is “vague” and “unsettled.”
The argument was one of two Navarro made to avoid having to have over the documents, both of which the judge rejected.
Elaborating on her rejection, Kollar-Kotelly noted in Thursday’s opinion that Navarro’s “arguments ignore or contravene the [Presidential Records Act’s] purpose, framework and provisions.”
Navarro hasn’t commented on Thursday’s ruling and is yet to hand over the requested communications.