Former Trump White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has been released from prison after serving a four-month sentence. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Spectrum News that Navarro, 75, walked free on Wednesday. His jail time stemmed from defying a congressional subpoena.
Navarro was convicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. This conviction was a result of his refusal to cooperate with the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee sought his testimony regarding the events leading up to and during the attack by a mob of Trump supporters. In addition to the prison sentence, Navarro was also fined $9,500. He served his time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami.
Just hours after his release from prison for contempt of Congress, Navarro made a public appearance. He gave a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. In his address, Navarro accused Democrats of engaging in politically motivated prosecutions against Republicans. He delivered a stark warning, stating, “You may be thinking this couldn’t happen to you. Make no mistake, they’re already coming for you.” The crowd responded with a long standing ovation and chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight,” echoing sentiments previously expressed by Donald Trump.
Navarro continued his accusations, stating, “This morning, I did walk out of a federal prison in Miami. Joe Biden and his department of injustice put me there.” He reinforced his warning: “If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful, they will come for you.”
The House committee investigating January 6th sought both documents and testimony from Navarro. They believed he possessed information crucial to their investigation. However, Navarro claimed he could not cooperate, citing former President Trump’s invocation of executive privilege. This argument was rejected in court. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta prevented Navarro’s legal team from using executive privilege as a defense during his trial. The judge reasoned that Navarro had not proven that Trump had actually invoked executive privilege in this instance.
Navarro’s attempts to delay his sentence while appealing his conviction were unsuccessful. Both an appeals court and the Supreme Court rejected his bids. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that his appeal was unlikely to overturn his conviction. Despite this, Navarro is continuing to pursue an appeal against the verdict.
Peter Navarro is one of two former Trump administration officials who faced conviction for disregarding subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, also received a four-month prison sentence for criminal contempt of Congress and was fined $6,500. Bannon began his prison sentence on July 1, after an appeals court upheld his conviction.
