Washington — Former President Donald Trump's White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been ordered to report to a federal prison in Miami by March 19. convicted of two crimes He faces charges of contempt of Congress, his lawyer said in a court filing Sunday.
Navarro was found guilty by a jury last year of ignoring subpoenas for documents and testimony from the now-defunct House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. After refusing to comply with Congress' request, the House held him in contempt and referred the matter to the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., for prosecution.
Congressional investigators were looking into his efforts to develop a plan that could delay the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Navarro is expected to become the first Trump administration official to serve prison time for election-related conduct after 2020.
Former advisor to President Trump appealed against his conviction, said he did not comply with the committee's request because he believed he was limited by presidential privilege. Prosecutors argued, and the judge who oversaw last year's criminal trial, agreed that that explanation was not a valid legal defense because Navarro failed to prove that Trump had claimed privilege. As a result, the court ruled that he could not raise it at trial.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who handed down the ruling, acknowledged that Navarro's defense was influenced by the binding legal precedent on which the executive privilege ruling was based, and said the case would likely be appealed. Ta. He then sentenced Navarro to four months in prison and rejected Navarro's request to remain free pending his appeal.
Navarro's lawyers said in a court filing that they would ask the Court of Appeals to keep Navarro out of prison during the appeals process and could take the matter to the Supreme Court.
During the trial and at sentencing, prosecutors argued that Mr. Navarro “acted as if he was above the law” when he disobeyed the commission's orders and “sniffed” while the commission was on duty. did.
The judge, who said he objected to Mr. Navarro's public comments about the case, told Mr. Navarro during his January sentencing that claiming privilege was a “magic dust” and that “you can get out of jail for free.” “It's not a card,” he said.
“If this court determines that privilege should have been granted or that Dr. Navarro should have been allowed to present evidence relying on claims of executive privilege in his defense, A revocation will be requested,” Navarro's lawyer said. On Sunday he sent a letter to the Court of Appeals.
Mr. Navarro's lawyer declined further comment.
In a statement on Monday, Navarro said his case would determine “whether the constitutional separation of powers will be maintained, whether executive privilege will remain as a bulwark against partisan attacks by the Legislature, and whether executive privilege will remain as president. will be decided ultimately.” George Washington pioneered an important tool for effective presidential decision-making. This is worth fighting on behalf of all Americans. ”
Trump's former presidential strategist Steve Bannon was also found guilty of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena from the committee on January 6th. Like Navarro, Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison, but the judge ruled that a higher court would likely overturn the conviction or order a new trial. He was granted release pending appeal.
Federal prosecutors also declined to charge two of Trump's top aides, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and adviser Dan Scavino, with contempt of Congress.