Peter Navarro, a former adviser in the Trump administration, is preparing to spend the next few months in prison after being found guilty of contempt of Congress. Navarro, 74, is scheduled to report to a federal Bureau of Prisons satellite camp in Miami on Tuesday, making him the first former White House official to be incarcerated for contempt of Congress.
The prison is next to a Zoo, and according to Sam Mangel, Navarro’s prison consultant, “Not only can you hear the lions … you can hear the lions roar every morning.” Speaking with CNN, Mangel said, “He’s nervous. Anybody, regardless of the length of their sentence, is going into an unknown world.”
Navarro’s request for a reprieve was denied by the Supreme Court on Monday, signaling his imminent entry into the prison system. He faces a four-month sentence for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas related to the House’s investigation into the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.
Chief Justice John Roberts declined Navarro’s eleventh-hour attempt to avoid prison as he contested his conviction before the federal appeals court in Washington, DC. Roberts highlighted that a federal appeals court had previously determined that Navarro had relinquished his right to contest the notion that he could evade appearing before Congress even if he were entitled to executive privilege.
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Roberts affirmed, “I see no reason to dispute the finding that Navarro abandoned those arguments.” Due to laws allowing for early release for federal inmates, Navarro’s time behind bars is expected to be shortened. Mangel estimates that Navarro will serve approximately 90 days of his four-month sentence. Navarro will be required to participate in classes and find employment within the prison during his stay.
The federal correctional facility in Miami, where Navarro will serve his sentence, is one of the oldest prison camps in the country. Housing fewer than 200 inmates, the facility accommodates a diverse population, including many inmates from Puerto Rico.
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Navarro’s legal team contended that halting the lower court’s decision to deny his request for freedom is justified when the petitioner does not pose a flight risk and raises significant legal questions rather than merely seeking a postponement.
They maintained that Navarro has filed an appeal and “will present several issues on appeal that he believes are likely to lead to the overturning of his conviction or a retrial.”
In a subsequent statement, Navarro expressed, “The partisan nature of the incarceration of a senior White House official should alarm every American. … If anyone believes these biased individuals and political figures disguised as judges aren’t targeting Donald Trump, they should reconsider their stance now.”
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar dismissed Navarro’s arguments as “meritless.” She urged the court to reject his urgent appeal, contending that his challenge is unlikely to reverse his conviction.
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Prelogar informed the court, “Navarro’s numerous arguments fall into two main categories, neither of which are likely to lead to a reversal or retrial.” She asserted that Navarro’s principal assertion — that a federal judge erred in disallowing him to present an executive privilege argument during the trial — will not alter the outcome of his criminal case in the long run.
“Even if a privilege claim were successful, it would not excuse the applicant’s complete failure to comply with the subpoena,” Prelogar stated. “(Navarro) has waived contrary arguments regarding all of those points, each of which serves as an independent ground for dismissing his claims here.”
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