- Peter Navarro spent four months in prison this year after defying two subpoenas
- His pugnacious style made him a favorite of Donald Trump during his first term
- DEEP DIVE: How Donald Trump won America back
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was appointing Peter Navarro, a former adviser who spent time in prison after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, to a key White House role.
Navarro, 75, will be senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump said on his Truth Social website.
It means a convict, who served four months in prison for refusing to comply with subpoenas demanding he give up evidence related to the Jan. 6 riot, will be central to one of Trump’s most important policy areas.
‘I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarro, a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my senior counselor for trade and manufacturing,’ Trump said in his announcement.
‘During my first term, few were more effective or tenacious than Peter in enforcing my two sacred rules, Buy American, Hire American.’
Navarro was one of two Trump loyalists who served time in prison, along with Steve Bannon, for refusing to give evidence to a Congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack.
He claimed his conviction was the result of the ‘partisan weaponization of the judicial system.’
He was released days before the Republican National Convention in July. ‘I went to prison so you won’t have to,’ he told an ecstatic audience.
Peter Navarro when he reported to prison to serve a four-month sentence in March
Donald Trump with Navarro at the White House in September 2020
Navarro was one of a string of appointments announced by Trump Wednesday, as he continues to flesh out the senior ranks of his administration.
He said he had asked Michael Whatley to stay on as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The president-elect also announced that he was nominating Daniel Driscoll as Army secretary, Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator and Adam Boehler as his special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
The return of Navarro shows the importance Trump places on loyalty.
Navarro was one of the loudest voices in claiming that the 2020 election was rigged and shared dossiers filled with debunked claims as part of a campaign to reverse the outcome.
He was one of the earliest China hawks in the administration.
And during the first administration he clashed repeatedly with Trump’s economic advisers as he pushed Trump to pursue a tougher line on trade and tariffs.
He was also part of Trump’s pandemic response team.
The president often called him ‘my Pete’ in private.
Trump has put tariffs at the heart of his policy agenda for a second term.
He has threatened to impost 25 percent levies on partners such as Canada and Mexico, and punitive tariffs of 100 percent on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa if they don’t rule out the idea of adopting a common currency to take on the dollar.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .