Trump names Peter Navarro, jailed for contempt of Congress, trade adviser

Donald Trump said he would name former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.

Navarro made headlines earlier this year when, in March, he was jailed for contempt of Congress.

The president-elect made the announcement along with several other positions on Truth Social, as he continues an unconventional rollout of cabinet and secretary nominations.

“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 a social media post.

He called Navarro “tenacious”, said he helped renegotiate free trade deals, and that his focus would be on tariffs – a major campaign promise from Trump.

Navarro’s jail sentence came in the aftermath of his refusal to cooperate with the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. He appealed his case all the way to the supreme court, though the case was rejected at every level. Navarro said his case was not about congressional authority, but an assault on executive power.

“This is not about me,” Navarro said upon turning himself into a Miami jail. He claimed his prosecution was, “an unprecedented assault on the constitutional separation of powers and the doctrine of executive privilege as a critical tool dating back to George Washington for effective presidential decision-making”.

Also on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump named Daniel P Driscoll as the secretary of the army, Jared Isaacman as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), Michael William Faulkender as the deputy secretary of the US Department of the Treasury, and several others for various positions.

He also named Adam Boehler as special envoy for hostage affairs with ambassador rank. Boehler is currently the chief executive of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm.

Boehler was confirmed by the Senate as the first chief executive of the United States Development Finance Corporation, a federal agency created during the Trump administration. He also helped negotiate the Abraham accords, treaties that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.

Additionally, Trump said he asked Michael Whatley, a political attorney, to return to chair the Republican National Committee. Whatley co-chaired the committee with Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law. He previously served as a federal law clerk and in the Bush administration.