Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House adviser, has started serving a four-month prison sentence in Miami for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Before reporting to the prison, Navarro stated at a press conference in the parking lot that they are using the same tactics against Donald Trump as they did against him, and warned that they could also target others, including the reporters present.
He warned a group of reporters that if they come for him, they can also come for them.
Navarro's last attempt to avoid prison while appealing his contempt of Congress conviction was rejected by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts in a rare written explanation for his ruling on a case he didn’t refer to the full court for consideration.
Roberts stated that he denied Navarro’s application because he had forfeited any argument challenging the district court’s conclusion that executive privilege was not invoked by Trump.
Roberts said that he saw no reason to disagree with the determination that Navarro forfeited those arguments in the release proceeding, which is different from his pending appeal on the merits.
Roberts handled Navarro’s request to avoid prison because he manages emergency matters from the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals.
Navarro, aged 74, was convicted last year of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to produce documents related to the probe and for skipping his deposition before the House committee that investigated the events surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
During the trial, the district judge prohibited him from using executive privilege as part of his defense after finding that he failed to prove privilege was ever invoked by former President Trump.
Navarro's defense attorneys argued that the decision hindered their defense, and Navarro claimed during his sentencing that he honestly believed executive privilege had been invoked.
Navarro criticized the district and appellate judges overseeing his case as partisan and Democrat from start to finish, condemning it as the partisan use of the judicial system.
Similar to Navarro, ex-White House adviser Steve Bannon was also convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress and received a four-month prison sentence, but a different judge allowed him to remain free while appealing. Bannon has yet to serve any time in prison.
When asked if he had spoken with Trump before going to prison, Navarro joked that he would claim “executive privilege” on that question as well, but mentioned that he has received significant support from Donald Trump and his team.
Navarro stated that he does not seek a pardon from Trump or President Biden, and still expects his case to be decided by the Supreme Court based on its merits.
Navarro said that he really wants the Supreme Court to do this in his appeal. He feels it's a tragedy that he will have already served his time before the appeal is done because he hasn't been released.
He added that this is the cost of living in Joe Biden's America at the moment. He also said goodbye and expressed his well wishes, saying he'll see everyone on the other side.
