“You can’t even lie to Congress”

Rep. Louie Gohmert condemned the indictment of a former Trump White House aide, complaining that Republicans “can’t even lie to Congress or an FBI agent, or they’re after you.”

The Texas Republican made the comments during an appearance on Newsmax on Friday, responding to the indictment brought by Peter Navarro for refusing to appear before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol. Gohmert follows other Republicans who have called the investigation biased but appear to have taken the criticism even further.

Navarro, an aide to former President Donald Trump, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress over his blocking of the committee.

“It actually puts an exclamation point on the fact that we have a two-tier justice system,” Gohmert said on Newsmax, arguing that there is a double standard for Democrats and Republicans.

Michael Sussmann, an attorney whose firm represented Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, was found this week not guilty of lying to the FBI in the first trial of Special Counsel John Durham’s three-year investigation.

Durham was hired in 2019 to oversee investigations into whether the government improperly collected information about Trump’s 2016 campaign. Sussmann’s acquittal enraged Trump, and Republicans complained about double standards.

Continuing the issue, Gohmert said Sussmann was acquitted by a jury “which included a bunch of Hillary Clinton lovers” willing to pardon his alleged lie.

A conviction for lying to Congress or the FBI carries up to five years in prison. But Gohmert suggested that the consequences Republicans might face for the offense were unfair.

“They will bury you,” Gohmert said. “They will put you in DC prison, terrorize and torture you, and break the Constitution.”

Gohmert also advanced previous allegations that former CIA chief John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress without holding themselves accountable.

The Jan. 6 Committee of the House of Representatives has turned its attention in recent months to how Trump and members of his inner circle may have abused their power to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In February, the Navarro committee subpoenaed and requested recordings and testimony from the former White House trade adviser, who publicly supported Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of a rigged election. Trump’s allegations of voter fraud have been dismissed more than 60 times by courts across the country, including the US Supreme Court.

The House of Representatives voted in April to refer the contempt allegations to the Justice Department. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, said at the time that Navarro would be a key witness for the investigation, noting that he had written a book “explaining his role.” of planning and coordinating the January 6 activities. “

Any defiance of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days in prison and a maximum of one year, and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the US Department of Justice.

news week asked Gohmert for a comment.