Peter Navarro Sentenced to Prison for Contempt of Congress

Former Trump Aide Faces Four Months Behind Bars

Washington, D.C. (2024) – Peter Navarro, a former White House trade adviser during the Trump administration, was sentenced to four months in prison on Thursday for contempt of Congress. The conviction stemmed from his refusal to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Navarro was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress in September 2023. The charges arose from his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack. The subpoena sought documents and testimony from Navarro related to his involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Navarro to four months in prison, the maximum penalty for the offense. Judge Mehta rejected Navarro’s arguments that he was acting on the advice of counsel or that his actions were justified by executive privilege. The judge also ordered Navarro to pay a $9,500 fine.

Navarro’s defense attorneys argued that he was duty-bound to assert executive privilege and that he should not be punished for following the advice of counsel. They requested a sentence of probation and a $100 fine instead of imprisonment.

Navarro served as a trade adviser to President Donald Trump during his administration. He was a vocal supporter of Trump’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election and promoted efforts to overturn the election results. Navarro defied the subpoena issued by the House Select Committee, asserting executive privilege as a basis for his refusal to cooperate.

On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. The attack resulted in injuries to over 100 police officers and extensive damage to the Capitol building. The House Select Committee was tasked with investigating the events leading up to the attack and identifying those responsible.

The House Select Committee conducted an 18-month investigation into the January 6th attack, interviewing over 1,000 witnesses and obtaining more than 1 million pages of documents. The committee’s final report concluded that Trump and his allies engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the election results and that Trump failed to act to stop the attack on the Capitol.

Navarro’s conviction was the second stemming from the House Select Committee’s investigation. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was previously convicted of contempt of Congress and received a four-month sentence, but is currently free pending appeal. Navarro filed an appeal of his conviction and sentence, and his attorneys argued that he should be allowed to remain free pending the outcome of the appeal.

Peter Navarro’s sentencing marks a significant development in the legal fallout from the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The sentence sends a clear message that those who defy congressional subpoenas and obstruct investigations into the attack will be held accountable. The case also highlights the ongoing legal battles surrounding the events of January 6th and the efforts to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.