Former Trump aide Peter Navarro is preparing to take his case to the Supreme Court after being sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. Navarro, who served in the White House under former President Trump, was ordered to report to a Miami prison by March 19th. The sentencing follows his refusal to comply with a House Jan. 6 committee subpoena. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta handed down the sentence and also ordered Navarro to pay a $9,500 fine, a reduction from the $200,000 fine sought by the Justice Department. Navarro’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward, has filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to block the sentence while he appeals the conviction. Navarro was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena related to the investigation into the January 6th Capitol riot. The former adviser to the president on trade and manufacturing policies refused to provide requested documents and testify. Woodward’s filing argues that the government’s opposition to Navarro’s request for release pending appeal rests on the fact that former President Trump did not invoke executive privilege in relation to the Select Committee’s subpoena. Woodward points out that matters of executive privilege and immunity have rarely been tested in court, and questions the requirement for a formal invocation by a former president. Navarro could potentially be the first high-profile Trump official to serve time in connection with efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. Another Trump aide, Steve Bannon, was convicted for similar contempt of Congress charges but was granted a stay of his four-month sentence while he appeals. Navarro’s case will now be brought before a three-judge appeals panel.
