Peter Navarro, a former economic adviser to ex-President Trump, has now been instructed to surrender to a Miami prison on March 19 to start a four-month sentence for failing to cooperate with a congressional probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Navarro, aged 74, was found guilty last year on two charges of contempt of Congress. One was for not providing documents related to the investigation, and the other was for missing his deposition.
In a recent court filing, his legal team requested a federal appeals court to temporarily pause his sentence as he challenges his conviction.
If that attempt is unsuccessful, he may be the first prominent Trump advisor to face imprisonment for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who presided over Navarro’s trial, refused to grant the Trump supporter’s request to remain free during the appeal process.
Navarro’s lawyer contended that the issue of executive privilege, which Navarro said Trump used to prevent any testimony to the House Jan. 6 panel, reaches that level.
Last year, former White House adviser Steve Bannon was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress and sentenced to four months in prison.
However, another judge allowed him to stay out of prison while he appeals the decision. Bannon presented his argument before a federal appeals court in November and has yet to serve any time.
During his sentencing, Navarro informed the judge that he sincerely believed executive privilege had been invoked by Trump, which Mehta had ruled out as a defense during the trial.
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