‘I thought I did the honorable productive service to this country. And now, I’m stuck with a lot of legal fees.’
Peter Navarro, who served under President Donald Trump’s administration, said his former boss helped him pay “about $300,000” legal bills after he requested the financial assistance.
The former White House trade adviser’s revelation during a Wednesday interview with MSNBC came after he was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress on Sept. 7, which Mr. Navarro has vowed to appeal.
So far, the legal fees he incurred over the course of the indictments have been “well in excess of $600,000,” Mr. Navarro said.
But the number is expected to be higher. Mr. Navarro estimated it “will be a million-dollar case.”
“Part of the problem here is this lawfare, this notion of, if you can’t put me in prison, you can at least bankrupt me,” he said.
“And you know, I’m not a wealthy guy. I wasn’t one of the wealthy guys in the Trump administration. All I ever did was create jobs, save lives, and settle labor strikes. And I thought I did the honorable productive service to this country,” he continued.
“And now, I’m stuck with a lot of legal fees.”
Asked whether he requested legal aid from President Trump, Mr. Navarro replied, “Certainly, he’s been a rock on this.”
Mr. Navarro encouraged viewers who want to help out to donate on defendpeter.com, a platform designed to raise money for his legal bills. As of Friday morning, it has taken in over $623,000. The fundraising goal is $895,000.
Earlier this month, Mr. Navarro was convicted of contempt of Congress charges after he refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Shortly after the jury verdict was delivered, the former president took his Truth Social platform to defend Mr. Navarro, calling the House Jan. 6 committee “totally partisan” and being filled with “political hacks” and “thugs.”
By Dorothy Li
