Peter Navarro, a former adviser in the Trump White House, has been instructed to report to a federal prison by March 19.
Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser for ex-President Donald Trump’s White House, has been instructed to appear at a federal prison in Miami on March 19.
guilty verdict on two charges
According to documents filed in court on Sunday, his legal team disclosed his indictment for disobeying Congress.
In the past year, Navarro was convicted by a jury for disobeying a subpoena and withholding documents and testimony from the disbanded House select committee that conducted an inquiry into the January 6, 2021 siege on the Capitol. Despite being directed by Congress, Navarro refused to cooperate and was subsequently held in contempt and referred to the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. for legal action.
Congressional investigators were looking into his efforts to formulate a plan that would have delayed the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Navarro is poised to be the first Trump administration official to serve time for post-2020 election-related conduct.
Navarro appealed his conviction, claiming that he did not comply with the committee’s demands due to his belief that he was limited by executive privilege. However, prosecutors contended and the judge in last year’s criminal trial agreed that this justification was not a legitimate legal defense, as Navarro did not provide evidence that Trump had actually exercised the privilege. As a result, the court ruled that he could not use this defense during the trial.
Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court stated that his decision regarding executive privilege may face an appeal due to its impact on Navarro’s defense. Afterward, he sentenced Navarro to four months in jail and denied Navarro’s appeal to remain out of prison during the appeals process.
Navarro’s legal representatives appealed to the higher court in an effort to prevent him from being incarcerated while the appeal is ongoing. They also stated in their court documents that they are prepared to escalate the issue to the highest court in the country.
Prosecutors argued during the trial and sentencing that Navarro demonstrated a sense of superiority by not obeying the committee’s order and disregarding their efforts.
The judge expressed disapproval of Navarro’s public statements regarding the case and emphasized that claiming privilege does not guarantee immunity.
The lawyers representing Navarro argued to the appeals court on Sunday that if it is determined that either the privilege should have been recognized or if Navarro should have been allowed to utilize evidence of his defense relying on the claim of executive privilege, then it would be necessary for his conviction to be overturned.
The lawyer representing Navarro chose not to provide any additional comments.
On Monday, Navarro stated that his case will ultimately decide the fate of the constitutional division of powers, the preservation of executive privilege as a barrier against partisan attacks from the legislative branch, and the continuation of executive privilege as a crucial tool in the President’s decision-making, as first established by President George Washington. This cause is worth defending for the benefit of all Americans.
Steve Bannon, who previously served as a strategist in the Trump administration, was recently convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee. Like Navarro, he has been sentenced to four months in prison, but the judge overseeing his case has allowed him to remain out of custody while he appeals the conviction. The judge believes there is a possibility that the conviction could be overturned or a new trial could be ordered by a higher court.
The prosecutor’s office for the federal government chose not to pursue charges against two additional members of Trump’s team, Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino. The charges were for showing contempt towards Congress.
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Source: cbsnews.com