Peter Navarro, formerly an economic adviser to ex-President Trump, has been instructed to appear at a Miami prison on March 19 to initiate a four-month term for failing to adhere to a congressional inquiry into the Capitol assault on January 6, 2021.
Navarro, 74, was found guilty last year of two charges of defying Congress — one for neglecting to furnish documents associated with the investigation and another for evading his deposition.
In a recent court submission, his legal representatives indicated that a federal appeals court should temporarily suspend his sentence while he challenges his conviction. Should this endeavor prove unsuccessful, he may become the inaugural significant Trump associate to face imprisonment for endeavors to overturn the 2020 election.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who presided over Navarro’s trial, rejected the request for the Trump confidant to remain at liberty while the appeal process unfolds. Navarro’s attorneys contended that the matter of executive privilege reached that threshold, which Navarro contended Trump invoked concerning any testimony to the House Jan. 6 panel.
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The magistrate disagreed, determining last month that Navarro’s appeal does not pose a “substantial question of law” and thus does not merit his release. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon encountered a similar fate.
Last year, he was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress and handed a four-month prison sentence. However, a distinct judge permitted him to remain free while he appealed. Bannon presented his case before a federal appeals court in November and has yet to commence his sentence.
Prosecutors asserted that Navarro exhibited “complete disregard” for the House committee’s inquiry and “total contempt for the rule of law.”
“Dr. Navarro has now been ordered to report to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, FCI Miami, on or before 2:00 PM EDT on March 19, 2024,” his attorney revealed in court papers late Sunday. “Accordingly, Dr. Navarro respectfully reiterates his request for an administrative stay. Should this court deny Dr. Navarro’s motion, he respectfully requests an administrative stay to permit the Supreme Court review of this Court’s denial.”
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“The committee was probing an assault on the very bedrock of our democracy,” remarked Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb. “There could not be a more consequential investigation conducted by Congress.”
Navarro informed the judge during his sentencing that he held a “sincere belief” that Trump had invoked executive privilege — an argument Mehta barred him from utilizing as a defense at trial.
The ex-Trump adviser’s legal team contended in court documents that Mehta’s ruling “hobbled” Navarro’s defense by leaving unresolved the issue of whether a president can instruct his subordinates not to testify before Congress.
ALSO READ: Trump-Era Official Peter Navarro Gets 4-Month Sentence for Refusing House January 6 Subpoena
Following his conviction last year, Navarro informed journalists that his case might reach the Supreme Court owing to the queries it raises about executive privilege for high-ranking White House staff.
In essence, Peter Navarro, a former economic adviser to Donald Trump, faces a four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress related to the Capitol attack investigation. Despite appeals, he’s expected to report to prison soon.
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