DOJ sues former Trump advisor Peter Navarro for 'wrongfully retaining' communications covered under the Presidential Records Act

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the former White House official, accusing him of wrongful retention of presidential records.

In the year of Donald Trump, Navarro worked for him. He was the director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy until Donald Trump left the White House.

The Presidential Records Act requires presidents and White House staff to preserve official documents and communications, which include gifts received in office, letters, emails, text messages, and social media posts, and turn those items over to the National Archives at the end of their terms.

The complaint states that while working at the White House, Navarro used a ProtonMail account to send and receive presidential records.

He didn't copy Presidential records that were sent or received on his non- official account or accounts to his official government email account. After Trump left office, the National Archives tried to get the records that he hadn't copied from his government account, but he didn't reply.

The DOJ tried to get the records from the other side. The department lawyers tried to get the records that are covered by thePRA secured via email and USPS, but they were unsuccessful.

District of Columbia law, federal common law, and thePRA are all alleged to have been violated by the wrongful retention of the records. According to the complaint, the US wants the court to order Navarro to turn over the records.

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing list of legal troubles for Navarro, who will face a criminal contempt of Congress trial in November after unsuccessfully trying to push for a later date to promote his new book.

He is one of several Trump White House officials who refused to comply with subpoenas.

The committee referred some of them to the Justice Department for prosecution. The department charged Bannon with two counts of contempt of Congress, despite not bringing formal charges. The case went to trial this summer and the man was found guilty last month.

After being indicted, he chose to represent himself but brought on two defense lawyers the day before his trial. His defense team alleged that prosecutors were pushing very hard for a "speedy trial" as part of a strategy to exploit the un represented.