Former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro’s quest for freedom met another dead-end when the Supreme Court once again declined his request to get out of prison sentence while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction. The 74-year-old, who began serving his sentence in March at a Miami federal facility designed for older inmates, challenged the conviction which stemmed from his defiance of a congressional subpoena related to the investigation into the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Navarro’s legal team presented their case as pressing and substantial, claiming that their client was not a flight risk and was confronting considerable legal questions. Despite their arguments, their efforts were unsuccessful as their appeal was rejected by Chief Justice John G. Roberts and, later, by the full court after being referred by Justice Neil Gorsuch. The Supreme Court’s decision arrived without comment.
The chief justice said that the federal appeals courts concluded Navarro had forfeited any challenge to the idea that, even if he was entitled to executive privilege, he could avoid appearing before Congress. And Roberts said he saw “no basis to disagree with the determination that Navarro forfeited those arguments.”
In a noteworthy development within this legal saga, Navarro becomes the first former White House official to be imprisoned on contempt charges, though Steve Bannon, another Trump associate, received a similar sentence but remains free pending his appeal.
Navarro’s conviction and subsequent incarceration originate from his refusal to provide documents and testimony to the House January 6 Committee. Members of the committee, which disbanded after concluding its investigation at the end of 2022, were seeking documents and testimony from Navarro tied to his conduct after the 2020 presidential election and efforts to delay certification of state Electoral College votes.
Navarro has argued that he believed he was bound by executive privilege when he defied the subpoena, but the judge overseeing the case found there was no evidence that the privilege was ever invoked. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected an effort by Navarro to delay his sentence, finding that he is unlikely to win a new trial or reverse his conviction.
Relevant articles:
– Former Trump aide Peter Navarro will remain in prison after Supreme Court rejects bid for freedom, salon.com, 04/30/2024
– Peter Navarro’s get-out-of-jail request is again rejected by the Supreme Court, CNN, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:04:00 GMT
– Supreme Court rejects Peter Navarro’s latest bid for release from prison during appeal, CBS News, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:33:44 GMT
– Supreme Court rejects Peter Navarro’s long-shot prison release bid, MSNBC, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:38:57 GMT
– Supreme Court again denies Trump aide Peter Navarro’s bid to stay prison sentence, UPI News, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:50:55 GMT