Peter Navarro reported to FCI Miami today to begin serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Navarro served as White House trade advisor to former President Donald Trump, and was subpoenaed by the January 6th Committee. Navarro ignored the subpoenas and claimed that he was exempt from the subpoenas due to Trump asserting executive privilege on his behalf.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts denied Navarro’s appeal yesterday, stating in the order:
The application for release pending appeal under 18 U. S. C. §3143(b) is denied. This application concerns only the question whether the applicant, Peter Navarro, has met his burden to establish his entitlement to relief under the Bail Reform Act. The Court of Appeals disposed of the proceeding on the ground that Navarro “forfeited” any argument in this release proceeding challenging the District Court’s conclusion that “executive privilege was not invoked,” “forfeited any challenge” to the conclusion that relief would not be required in any event because of the qualified nature of executive privilege, and “forfeited any challenge” to the conclusion that apart from executive privilege, he was still obligated to appear before Congress and answer questions seeking information outside the scope of the asserted privilege. Order in No. 24–3006 (DC, Mar. 14, 2024). I see no basis to disagree with the determination that Navarro forfeited those arguments in the release proceeding, which is distinct from his pending appeal on the merits.
Navarro spoke to reporters before reporting to FCI Miami, stating, “If they can put me in prison, they can put you in prison. Make no mistake about that, and make no mistake about this, they’re coming after Donald Trump with the same tactics, tools, and strategies they used to put me over there today.”
