Walter Giardina has been called a Marine hero and portrayed in the media as a victim of FBI “purges.” But according to Peter Navarro, former Trump White House trade adviser and author of I Went to Prison So You Won’t Have To, Giardina was far from a martyr. Instead, Navarro argues he was central to the FBI’s weaponized efforts against Donald Trump and his allies.
Giardina’s fingerprints were reportedly all over the Steele Dossier — the Clinton-funded opposition research that helped trigger the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation in 2016. Whistleblowers claim Giardina vouched for the dossier even though its most explosive claims were unverified, giving it the credibility needed to secure a FISA warrant against Trump adviser Carter Page. That probe eventually led to the Mueller investigation, which spent $30 million chasing “collusion” allegations that ultimately went nowhere.
Navarro claims Giardina wasn’t just involved in Crossfire Hurricane, but also in other politically charged investigations, including:
- The Mueller Probe (2017–2019): Whistleblowers allege Giardina wiped his FBI laptop outside protocol, erasing records tied to the case. Despite controversy, he received an FBI award for his work.
- Crimson River / Red Maasari (2017–2024): A probe into alleged Egyptian funding of Trump’s 2016 campaign. No proof was ever found, but leaks hit the press just months before the 2024 election.
- The Emoluments Clause Case (2018–2019): Navarro says Giardina directed agents to “dig around” Trump’s business dealings, feeding damaging headlines to the press.
- Operation Arctic Frost (2022–2023): A January 6–related probe that targeted Trump, Pence, and their aides over “fake electors.” Files were later handed to Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Navarro also points to his own arrest in June 2022 at Reagan National Airport. He claims Giardina personally orchestrated the dramatic takedown, complete with handcuffs and cameras, even though standard protocol would have allowed for a quiet self-surrender. His fiancée, though not a suspect, was also perp-walked.
“This wasn’t law enforcement,” Navarro argues. “It was lawfare and political theater.”
Navarro warns that unless figures like Giardina are held accountable, such tactics will continue to be used against political opponents:
“If they can come for me, they can come for you.”
That, he says, is why he wrote his book — to expose what he calls the FBI’s weaponization and to rally Americans to demand accountability.
