A group of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter Thursday to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons demanding testimony for blocking a member of Congress from speaking to former Trump White House official Peter Navarro.
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the letter, which was signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. In the letter, the House Republicans call on the director, Colette Peters, to testify after she denied Gaetz’s request to interview Navarro in prison.
Gaetz alleged Peters’ reason for not allowing him to interview Navarro is because he is “too notorious” to be interviewed by a member of Congress. Gaetz has since argued that the denial of his request does not make sense, as John Gotti was interviewed in prison and the QAnon Shaman was interviewed in prison.
In January, Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay $9,500 for contempt of Congress after defying a Jan. 6 congressional subpoena. Navarro was subpoenaed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after he refused to testify during his deposition and failed to produce certain documents requested by the Jan. 6 committee, citing executive privilege.
“The Committee on the Judiciary continues to conduct oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). We write regarding several issues that are of pressing concern to the Committee, including allegations of disparate treatment of inmates in BOP custody for political reasons and reports that BOP is denying Members of this Committee the ability to meet and speak with inmates in BOP custody,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. (RELATED: Peter Navarro Speaks Out One Last Time Before Reporting To Prison)
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
WATCH:
“On May 6, 2024, a member of the Committee informed the House of Representatives that you denied his request to meet with Peter Navarro, who is currently in federal custody,” the lawmakers continued. “You allegedly denied this request because Dr. Navarro was ‘too notorious’ to meet with a Member of Congress, and Dr. Navarro has also allegedly been notified that he is not permitted to meet with his attorney. Your refusal to allow a Member of Congress to meet with Dr. Navarro—in addition to BOP’s efforts to prevent Mr. Galanis from speaking to Congress—raise serious questions about the politicization of BOP.” (RELATED: Federal Appeals Court Deals Legal Blow To Trump Aide Currently Facing Prison Sentence)
They then called for the Director of the BOP to testify at a hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance at 2:00 p.m. on June 13, 2024.
The lawmakers requested that she confirm her attendance no later than May 23, 2023.