Peter Navarro’s Request to Avoid Prison Denied by D.C. Appeals Court

In a ruling on Thursday, a federal appeals court rejected Peter Navarro’s request to remain out of prison while he appeals a contempt of Congress conviction. Navarro, a former advisor in the Trump administration, was sentenced to serve four months in federal prison in Miami after being found guilty of defying a subpoena issued by a House committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.

According to The Washington Post, Navarro could potentially be the first person to be imprisoned for defying a congressional subpoena in over fifty years under a rarely enforced federal law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, consisting of Judges Patricia Millett, Cornelia Pillard, and Robert Wilkins, all appointed by Barack Obama, unanimously denied Navarro’s request to avoid prison pending his appeal.

The judges stated in a two-page ruling that Navarro failed to demonstrate that his appeal raised significant legal or factual questions that could result in a reversal, a new trial, a non-imprisonment sentence, or a reduced period of imprisonment.

Despite Navarro’s claim of executive privilege as a reason for not complying with the subpoena, the appeals court rejected this argument, pointing out that he could not prove Trump invoked executive privilege. The judges also noted that even if executive privilege were applicable, it would not excuse Navarro’s failure to comply with the subpoena.

Navarro’s next option would be to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. His attorney, Stanley Woodward, declined to comment on the appeals court’s decision when contacted by Newsmax.