Chief Justice John Roberts refused to delay Peter Navarro’s four-month prison sentence Monday, meaning the former Trump trade advisor must report to a minimum-security federal Bureau of Prisons satellite camp in Miami Tuesday. The case fell into Roberts’ hands because he is in charge of emergency matters arising from the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals.
Navarro was accused by the duplicitous January 6 Committee of plotting with another former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon, to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. He was subpoenaed by the committee but refused to appear and was convicted in 2023 of two counts of contempt of Congress — one for failing to produce documents and another for skipping his deposition.
BREAKING: Chief Justice Roberts, acting as circuit justice, DENIES Peter Navarro's request to stay out of prison during his appeal. Navarro is due to report to prison this week for his four-month sentence following his contempt of Congress conviction. https://t.co/4ykz1lx2s2 pic.twitter.com/bvPtjE0ZWS
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) March 18, 2024
In his decision, Roberts wrote:
“This application concerns only the question of whether the applicant, Peter Navarro, has met his burden to establish his entitlement to relief under the Bail Reform Act,” Roberts wrote, citing an appeals court’s determination that Navarro “forfeited” any argument challenging the district court’s conclusion that executive privilege was not invoked by Trump.
"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."
See also:
Ex-Trump Official Peter Navarro Appeals to Supreme Court to Keep Him Out of Prison in J6 Case
Navarro posted to social media after Roberts denied him, defiantly saying that the entire process was a threat to our democratic traditions:
Here is the statement I issued after Justice John Roberts decided to reject my release pending appeal.
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) March 19, 2024
STATEMENT OF PETER NAVARRO RE: SCOTUS DECISION
Justice Roberts took care to note that his reason for denial was “distinct from [my] pending appeal on the merits.” That appeal…
Navarro wrote:
Justice Roberts took care to note that his reason for denial was “distinct from [my] pending appeal on the merits.” That appeal on the merits will continue and if I fail in that appeal – after nonetheless serving my full prison term -- the constitutional separation of powers will be irreparably damaged and the doctrine of executive privilege dating back to George Washington will cease to function as an important safeguard for effective presidential decision-making. There is much at stake here and it is worth the fight.
The partisan nature of the imprisoning of a top senior White House aide should chill the bones of every American. In Joe Biden’s weaponized justice system, a Democrat controlled Congress and Justice Department together with an Obama-appointed District Judge and three Obama-appointed Appeals Court judges drove the Navarro railroad right into prison. If anybody thinks these partisans and politicians in robes aren’t coming for Donald Trump, they must think twice now.
Navarro will be the first former White House official ever put behind bars for contempt of Congress. Eric Holder was held in contempt in 2012 for failing to turn over requested documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal, but he just happened to be Obama’s attorney general at the time so voilà, no DOJ charges.
Navarro’s prison will be right next to a zoo, says his prison consultant Sam Mangel.
“Not only can you hear the lions … you can hear the lions roar every morning…”
“He’s nervous,” Mangel told CNN of Navarro. “Anybody, regardless of the length of their sentence, is going into an unknown world.”
Mangel is part of a cottage industry in the legal world meant to help prepare well-heeled convicts and their families for time behind bars. He said he spoke with Navarro on Monday.
Mangel said the 74-year-old Navarro will have virtually no privacy and would need to find employment.
Mangel said Navarro will have to take classes and get a job inside the prison. The prison consultant has urged him to try for roles as a law library clerk or an orderly, so he can spend the next few months in the air conditioning as Miami’s weather warms.
Given his age, Navarro also will ask to be in a dormitory for elderly inmates that houses about 80 men in bunk beds.
“There’s no privacy in the dorm,” Mangel said. “It can be scary and intimidating. But he’s going to be perfectly safe.”
Navarro is the latest to be convicted in Trumpworld, but he won’t be the last if the Democrats have their way. They’re hell-bent on using the legal system as a political weapon, and they’ve gotten some results. They may wish they hadn’t, however, if and when the GOP gets back in power because payback is a female dog.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member