Judge Hands Down Sentence to Former Trump Adviser Peter Navarro for Contempt of Congress

Leah Barkoukis | January 25, 2024 2:30 PM

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was handed a four-month prison sentence Thursday for defying a Jan. 6 committee subpoena.

Additionally, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered Navarro to pay a $9,500 fine, considerably less than the $200,000 fine the Justice Department sought.

Navarro, a trade adviser to the former president, was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for not producing documents related to the investigation and dodging his deposition.

“Let’s be clear, Dr. Navarro: You are not a victim here,” Mehta said during a court hearing. “This is not a political prosecution [and] these are circumstances of your own making.”

He continued: "Your obligation as an American is to cooperate with Congress, to provide them with the information they were seeking."

Mehta said he made Congress' job more difficult and that's what the case is about. "It wasn't a kangaroo court," he argued. "The public could see that."

The judge said that, given Navarro’s background, he should have known that he had a duty to comply with the congressional subpoena. Navarro had tried to cite executive privilege, a legal doctrine that allows some conversations between a president and advisers to remain confidential.
The judge said that, even if executive privilege had been properly invoked, Navarro was still required to provide some information to the committee.
“You were more than happy to talk to the press about what you did… but not go up to the Hill to talk to Congress,” the judge said.
“The words ‘executive privilege’ are not some magical incantation,” the judge said. “It’s not a Get Out of Jail Free card.”
The Justice Department had suggested a six-month sentence for Navarro, saying he had thumbed his nose at congressional authority as if he were above the law.
Another Trump ally, Steve Bannon, was previously sentenced to four months in prison for similar conduct. A judge allowed Bannon to remain free while he pursues an appeal of his underlying conviction, which is still pending. (WSJ)