Supreme Court Denies Ex-Trump Adviser Navarro's Request to Avoid Prison During Appeal

On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court denied former Trump adviser Peter Navarro's request to stay out of prison while appealing his conviction for contempt of Congress related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack investigation. Navarro had previously asked the Supreme Court to allow him to remain free while challenging his conviction at the federal appeals court, but Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch both denied his requests.

Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison after a jury found him guilty of failing to respond to congressional subpoenas for documents and testimony in the House's investigation of the January 6 attack. He reported to federal prison in Miami in mid-March to begin serving his sentence.

This was the second time the Supreme Court rejected Navarro's efforts to pause his jail sentence. Navarro had claimed that executive privilege shielded him from responding to the House committee's subpoena, but the court found that he had "forfeited" those arguments.

Why this matters: Navarro is the first former White House official to go to prison after being found guilty of contempt of Congress related to the January 6 investigation. His case highlights the consequences faced by those who defy congressional subpoenas and the limits of executive privilege claims.

The Supreme Court's decision came after Navarro had already served 15 days in jail at the time of his renewed request. In contrast, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was also convicted of contempt of Congress, was allowed to remain free pending appeal. Navarro criticized the Supreme Court's denial as the "partisan weaponization of our judicial system."

Key Takeaways

• Supreme Court denied Navarro's request to stay out of prison while appealing conviction.
• Navarro was sentenced to 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress related to Jan 6.
• Navarro claimed executive privilege but court found he had "forfeited" those arguments.
• Navarro is the first former White House official to go to prison for contempt of Congress.
• Navarro criticized the decision as "partisan weaponization" of the judicial system.