The Supreme Court has once again declined former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro’s plea to be released from prison while he appeals his conviction for contempt of Congress, according to CNN. After Chief Justice John G. Roberts denied Navarro’s initial request to avoid imprisonment, the former director of the White House National Trade Council surrendered himself to federal prison.
Navarro, who is 74 years old, has been confined in a small correctional facility in Miami alongside 80 other older inmates. This is a result of his refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena to provide testimony regarding the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Trump. Consequently, he was convicted of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress and received a prison sentence of four months, along with a fine of $9,500, as ordered by a federal judge in Washington, D.C.
The House January 6 Committee had requested documents and testimony from Navarro, who played a role in Trump’s efforts to delay the official certification of Joe Biden’s win. Navarro claimed executive privilege, but Roberts determined that even if valid, the federal appeals courts had ruled that it did not provide enough protection to prevent a congressional subpoena.
In mid-March, Navarro began serving his prison sentence. Recently, he made another urgent appeal to Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, who then brought the case before the entire court. Despite his legal team’s argument that Navarro posed no risk of fleeing and that significant legal issues were at stake, their second attempt to secure a hold on his prison term was unsuccessful. Similar appeals to lower courts were also denied.
Navarro becomes the initial ex-White House official to be incarcerated for contempt, but he might not be the only one for long. Steve Bannon, the conservative activist who played a role in Trump’s rise to the presidency, has also been convicted of two counts of Congress contempt and received a four-month sentence. However, he has managed to avoid imprisonment temporarily, as the judge has stayed his sentence while Bannon appeals his conviction.
