Peter Navarro, a former White House trade adviser, has been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. This is despite his earlier bid for a new trial based on the jurors’ possible prejudice.
Narravo alleged that the political protesters may have influenced the jurors’ verdict during a recess outside the courthouse. However, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected this assertion.
On Tuesday, January 16, Judge Mehta said Navarro couldn’t prove prejudice resulting from “the jury’s eight-minute break outside the courthouse.” There was no evidence of the jurors’ communication with any party besides each other or that someone approached them. The judge also wrote that “no activities were resembling a ‘protest.'”
According to Mehta, “Defendant not only fails to demonstrate prejudice, he has not shown that any juror was actually exposed to any improper external influence.” For this reason, he couldn’t grant Navarro’s request for a new contempt of Congress trial.
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Navarro was found guilty of disregarding a subpoena for documents in furtherance of Congress’s investigation into the January 6 attack. He also defied a deposition from the committee looking into the 2021 capitol riot.
Prosecutors say that he “brazenly defied Congress” and attempted to “hide behind claims of privilege.” They claim that he let his loyalty to Trump override his duty to obey the laws he was bound by.
The 74-year-old former Trump adviser had defended his actions by stating that Trump invoked executive privilege. As such, he was not allowed to disclose the subpoenaed presidential records and communications. However, the judge refused to accept the argument because he couldn’t prove it.
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When he saw that he couldn’t rely on executive privilege, Navarro said that his actions were not willful. He told the House January 6 Committee made him believe they had accepted his executive privilege excuse. “Nobody in my position should be put in conflict between the legislative branch and the executive branch,” he said.
Navarro also mentioned that the harsh penalties the federal prosecutors sought weren’t justifiable. They wanted the judge to sentence him to six months in jail and a fine of $200,000.
Again, Mehta rejected his argument, stating that Navarro wasn’t a victim. “You are not the object of a political prosecution. These are circumstances of your own making,” the judge said.
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Mehta also responded to Navarro’s claims that President Biden and other democrats were witch-hunting him. “Joe Biden is not responsible for your prosecution. Those statements from somebody who knows better than that contribute to why our politics are so corrosive.”
Navarro isn’t the first person associated with the ex-president to be charged with contempt of Congress. Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist, was also sentenced to four months in prison after a conviction of two counts. He was also fined $6,500. However, Bannon remains free as his sentence is on hold pending the conclusion of his appeal.
The former White House adviser was sentenced on Thursday, January 26, and promised to appeal Mehta’s decision.
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