Peter Navarro declined on Newsmax to explain what he did with a confidential Fox Business directive after Greg Kelly told him, “So Maria is out of a job.” On Tuesday night, Navarro answered, “I’m not getting into the details,” and added, “Remember, I went to prison, Greg, for not violating the executive privilege.”
The exchange came after Navarro had said on Friday that Maria Bartiromo took a screenshot of Ralph Giordano’s guidance and forwarded it to him. Puck News reported that Fox fired Bartiromo for sharing internal guidance on how to cover Donald Trump’s July 16 speech, but a lawyer for Bartiromo said those reports were false.
Navarro on Greg Kelly Reports
Navarro appeared on Greg Kelly Reports on Tuesday night as Kelly pressed him about what he did with the directive he received. Kelly asked, “So Maria is out of a job,” before turning to the guidance itself, and Navarro began, “Well, I’m gonna get in–” before stopping and refusing to continue.
Navarro’s reference to prison was tied to his 2023 contempt of Congress conviction and his 2024 sentence of four months in jail. He used that history to explain why he would not discuss the way he handled the guidance, even as the question focused on whether the material moved beyond the network.
Ralph Giordano’s guidance
The guidance at issue started with Ralph Giordano, who texted Bartiromo’s producers and told them to skip coverage of Donald Trump’s speech. Puck News said the main intended recipient was Patrick Ignozzi, the executive producer of Mornings With Maria on Fox Business, and that he also departed the network last week.
Navarro told Puck that Bartiromo took a screenshot of the guidance and sent it to him, and he said she told him management was not letting her cover the speech. He said he then passed the information up the chain and informed senior administration officials.
Bartiromo’s exit dispute
The dispute over Bartiromo’s departure now sits at the center of the story. The reported firing, the lawyer’s denial, and Navarro’s refusal to spell out who saw the directive leave open one practical question for the people involved: whether the internal instruction stayed inside the network or moved further after it was shared with Bartiromo and then forwarded again.
That question is the one the public record in this case still does not settle, and the next move belongs to Fox Business and if either decides to address how Bartiromo’s exit was handled.
