Supreme Court Denies Navarro’s Bid to Stave Off Prison

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The Supreme Court on Monday refused to halt a prison sentence for former Trump White House official Peter Navarro as he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction.

Navarro is due to report Tuesday to a federal prison for a four-month sentence, after being found guilty of misdemeanor charges for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He had asked to stay free while he appealed his conviction.

Navarro has maintained that he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because former President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege. Lower courts have rejected that argument, finding he couldn’t prove Trump had actually invoked it.

In a statement Monday, Navarro indicated he is pressing ahead with an appeal on the merits of the case against him.

The statement said: Justice Roberts took care to note that his reason for denial was “distinct from [my] pending appeal on the merits.” That appeal on the merits will continue and if I fail in that appeal – after nonetheless serving my full prison term — the constitutional separation of powers will be irreparably damaged and the doctrine of executive privilege dating back to George Washington will cease to function as an important safeguard for effective presidential decision-making. There is much at stake here and it is worth the fight.”

It continued: “The partisan nature of the imprisoning of a top senior White House aide should chill the bones of every American. In Joe Biden’s weaponized justice system, a Democrat controlled Congress and Justice Department together with an Obama-appointed District Judge and three Obama-appointed Appeals Court judges drove the Navarro railroad right into prison.”

The Monday order signed by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency applications from Washington, D.C., said he has “no basis to disagree” with the appeals court ruling, though he said the finding doesn’t affect the eventual outcome of Navarro’s appeal.

His attorney Stanley Woodward declined to comment.

Navarro, who served as a White House trade adviser, was the second Trump aide convicted of misdemeanor contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon previously received a four-month sentence but was allowed to stay free pending appeal by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Trump.

Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House Jan. 6 committee. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, refused his push to stave off his prison sentence and the federal appeals court in Washington agreed.

The Supreme Court is also separately preparing to hear arguments on whether Trump himself has presidential immunity from charges alleging he interfered in the 2020 election.