Peter Navarro compares himself to Evan Gershkovich in fiery rant against Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Trump advisor Peter Navarro stirred controversy with his remarks on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast, where he likened his legal troubles to the ordeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia.

Navarro, who recently completed a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the January 6 congressional committee, expressed frustration with the Wall Street Journal's editorial stance on his imprisonment.

Peter Navarro compares himself to Evan Gershkovich during rant against Wall Street Journal

"These SOB's at the Wall Street Journal editorialize and said that good, they should put me in prison, why, well to show that Congress could actually have subpoena power and maintain their authority," Peter Navarro stated.

He criticized the notion that the legislative branch should have the authority to subpoena a "senior presidential aide or the president," adding, "Shame on you, Wall Street Journal for editorializing to put me in prison. Even as you are ringing your hands and clutching your pearls over your reporter stuck over in Russia."

Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where former president Donald Trump was formally nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential candidate, Navarro issued a stark warning: "I got a very simple message for you. If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump. Be careful. They will come for you."

Navarro is one of two members of Trump's inner circle convicted for failing to comply with subpoenas from the now-defunct House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to CNN.

Bannon, another close Trump ally, began serving his sentence in early July at a federal prison in Connecticut.

During his time in prison, Navarro worked as a law library clerk, according to his prison consultant Sam Mangel.

Mangel noted that Navarro was well-liked and respected by fellow inmates, with some even high-fiving him during a visit. "It gave him a chance to write," Mangel said, highlighting Navarro's time spent writing while incarcerated.

Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter Navarro referenced, was released by Russian authorities and returned to American soil on August 1.

Gershkovich's release was part of a significant prisoner swap between Russia and Western nations, involving 24 people. This exchange included seven Russian citizens, four of whom were associated with the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

In a brief conversation with Andrew Roth, a reporter for The Guardian, Gershkovich expressed relief and solidarity with other political prisoners. "It was great to get on that bus today and see not just Americans and Germans but Russian political prisoners," he said.

He described his time in a Yekaterinburg prison, where he met various political prisoners, noting that they had diverse political beliefs and were not all Navalny supporters.

Peter Navarro draws flak online for comparing himself to Evan Gershkovich

Peter Navarro's comparison of his situation to Evan Gershkovich's detention in Russia drew significant criticism online.

One X user said, "Commiting crimes in the US, getting convicted of them, and serving your minimal sentence is no where equivalent to being held hostage in Russia just for being an American."

While another remarked, "Peter Navarro broke American laws, not Russian laws and he wasn't being held as a hostage, he was a prisoner due to his own criminal behavior. Jeez MAGA can't ever take responsibility."

One person wrote, "Peter Navarro is a criminal. Shameful spin."

Another commented, "He was in prison for committing a crime. One was imprisoned for trumped up charges and the other was imprisoned due to charges protecting Trump. One is a felon, the other a freed political prisoner."

One individual posted, "Such perpetual victimhood."

Another stated, "Truly an expert in twisted logic."

A user wrote, "He did the crime and had to do the time. He wasn’t falsely accused of something and comparing himself to Evan is disgraceful. He’s repulsive."

Lastly, a user said, "The difference: Navarro broke our laws, Gershkovich didn’t break any laws!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.