Trump hires Peter Navarro as White House adviser as he continues building administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is bringing Peter Navarro, a former adviser who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, back to the White House for his second administration.

Navarro will serve as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump announced on Truth Social, his social media website.

Trump wrote that the position “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.”

Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump’s first term, was held in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated Jan. 6. Sentenced to four months in prison, he described his conviction as the “partisan weaponization of the judicial system.”

Shortly after being released, Navarro spoke on stage at the Republican National Convention in July, where he told the crowd that “I went to prison so you won’t have to.”

FILE – Peter Navarro speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a faith event at the Concord Convention Center, Oct. 21, 2024, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump also announced that he asked Michael Whatley to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee. Whatley ran the committee during the election along with Lara Trump, the wife of Trump’s son Eric.

Trump chose Daniel Driscoll as Army secretary, J ared Isaacman as NASA administrator and Adam Boehler as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.