Former Donald Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison for Defying Court Subpoena

Former White House adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced on Thursday, January 25, for failing to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered Navarro to four months in prison and a $9,500 fine.

Navarro, who served as an adviser to former President Donald Trump on trade and manufacturing policies, was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena for documents and a deposition related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The subpoena required Navarro to produce documents in February 2022 and appear for a deposition in March 2022, but he refused to comply. Navarro was indicted on June 2, 2022, as a private citizen.

At the sentencing hearing, Navarro defended his actions, claiming he believed in "good faith" that Trump had invoked executive privilege. Navarro's defense attorney stated the court of appeal would determine if executive privilege applies in this case.

The judge noted another White House adviser, Kellyanne Conway, had an opinion from the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel that allowed her to cite executive privilege, but Navarro did not have such an opinion and did not hire representation.

Prosecutors had initially requested a six-month prison sentence and a $200,000 fine for Navarro. However, Judge Mehta reduced the sentence to four months and the fine to $9,500.

Mehta explained that sentencing guidelines suggested a range of zero to six months imprisonment and a fine range of $500 to $9,500. The judge also clarified that sentencing guidelines are only a suggestion and that he had the discretion to impose a longer sentence if he deemed it necessary.

Navarro vowed to appeal the verdict and has called on his supporters to donate to help cover his legal expenses.

He argued the couldn't cooperate with the committee because he believed Trump had invoked executive privilege. However, the judge barred him from making that argument in court, as he failed to show evidence that Trump had actually invoked executive privilege.

The Justice Department prosecutors argued that Navarro's refusal to comply with the subpoena and his attempts to "hide behind claims of privilege" showed a "disdain" for the committee that should warrant a longer sentence.

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