Federal judge drops case against Trump adviser Peter Navarro

A federal judge has closed the case against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro over his alleged use of a private email for government business and mishandling of presidential records while serving in the first Trump administration. 

Navarro, a current senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, had been under investigation by former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, with the lawsuit accusing Navarro of using at least one “non-official” email account — a ProtonMail account — to send and receive emails.

The civil case alleged that by using the unofficial email account, Navarro failed to turn over presidential records to the National Archives and Records Administration.

A federal judge has closed the case against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro over his alleged use of a private email for government business and mishandling of presidential records. ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO, HOURS AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON, APPEARS AT RNC: ‘I AM YOUR WAKE-UP CALL’

The decision to dismiss the case, filed in 2022, comes after the Trump Justice Department asked the court to do so.

The joint filing by the Justice Department and an attorney for Navarro doesn’t explain why they are abandoning a case. The one-page filing says each side will bear their own fees and costs.

Navarro served four months in prison after being convicted in a separate case for refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He maintained his refusal to testify was protected by executive privilege.

Peter Navarro spoke on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump-led Justice Department is reconsidering Navarro’s conviction, potentially seeking to overturn it, the Washington Post reported last month. This move aligns with a broader pattern of the administration revisiting prosecutions against Trump allies.

He took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just hours after being released from a Miami prison. 

Navarro was accused of using a private email for government business and mishandling presidential records. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He said that the Jan. 6 case was politically motivated by Biden and that “if they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you.”

Fox News’ Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.