Ex-Trump Aide Hands Himself Over to Federal Prison

(HorizonPost.com) – Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro reported to prison last Tuesday after the Supreme Court refused to intervene to keep him out of jail while his conviction was being appealed, the Associated Press reported.

A jury convicted Navarro in September of contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot. Navarro defied a subpoena from the committee, claiming executive privilege.

In late January, US District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Navarro to four months in federal prison.

Navarro appealed his conviction and requested that Judge Mehta allow him to remain free while his appeal was underway. However, in a decision last month, the judge denied Navarro’s request and instructed him to report to the Bureau of Prisons when ordered to begin serving his sentence.

Navarro appealed Judge Mehta’s decision to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In a March 14 ruling, a three-judge appellate panel rejected his request.

In a last-ditch effort to stay out of prison, Navarro filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court the following day.

In a March 18 order, Chief Justice John Roberts declined to intervene, writing that he had “no basis to disagree” with the Appeals Court’s ruling.

With his options exhausted, Navarro reported for prison in Miami on March 19.

Speaking to reporters, a defiant Navarro blasted the “partisan weaponization” of the US justice system and said his prison sentence was a “crippling blow” to the separation of powers and executive privilege.

Donald Trump was asked about Navarro’s prison sentence while voting in the Florida presidential primary last Tuesday.

The former president described his former trade advisor as a “good man” who was being “treated very unfairly.” Trump said what was happening to Navarro was “a shame.”

Navarro is the first Trump administration official to receive prison time for his involvement in the events surrounding the January 6 riot and Trump’s attempts to overturn the election.

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon was also convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the Jan 6 committee. While Bannon was also sentenced to four months, he was allowed to remain free while his conviction was on appeal.