Peter Navarro Appeals to Supreme Court to Avoid Prison

TL/DR –

Peter Navarro, a senior aide to former President Donald Trump, has asked the Supreme Court to keep him out of prison while he appeals his conviction for refusing to testify before Congress about his involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Navarro is due to report to a Miami prison after a US Court of Appeals ruled he had not presented substantial questions of law or fact likely to reverse his conviction or four-month sentence. His lawyers argue that Navarro is not a flight risk or a danger to public safety and that he will raise several issues on appeal likely to result in the reversal of his conviction or a new trial.

Peter Navarro Appeals to Supreme Court to Avoid Prison

A former senior aide to President Donald Trump, Peter Navarro, petitioned the Supreme Court for prison exclusion pending his appeal for refusing to testify about his role in the 2020 election overturn efforts.

Navarro’s Prison Report Deadline

The 74-year-old economist must report to a Miami prison by Tuesday, as stated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Navarro, according to the court, has not shown that his appeal raises significant legal or factual questions that might reverse his conviction or sentence.

Navarro’s Legal Defense

Navarro’s lawyers suggest he poses no flight risk or safety threat and thus should be released pending appeal. They argue that for the first time, a senior presidential advisor has been deemed guilty of contempt of Congress after asserting executive privilege over a congressional subpoena. They announced several appeal issues that Navarro believes might result in his conviction being overturned or a retrial.

The Justice Department’s Response

The Supreme Court has asked the Justice Department to respond to Navarro’s request by Monday at 2 p.m.

Navarro’s Actions Post January 6 Attack

Following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, Navarro authored a book detailing an election overthrow plan credited to Stephen K. Bannon. However, Navarro and Bannon have defied subpoenas to provide further details and are now battling four-month prison terms for contempt of Congress.

Navarro’s Executive Privilege Claim

Navarro’s attorneys argue the law is unclear on whether Congress intended to penalize presidential advisors like Navarro, who asserted executive privilege over a congressional subpoena. Nonetheless, Navarro could not provide evidence that Trump planned to assert such privilege, and Trump has not confirmed this publicly. His immunity claim was dismissed as “weak sauce” by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta.

D.C. Circuit’s Verdict

The D.C. Circuit concurred this week, stating Navarro’s arguments would only stand if “privilege has actually been invoked in this case in some manner by the President,” which did not occur here.

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