Appeals Court Upholds Navarro’s Convictions on Subpoena Defiance
A federal appeals court upheld the convictions of Peter Navarro, an adviser to the White House, for not complying with a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The court’s decision was delivered by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, who unanimously rejected Navarro’s claims that he was shielded by executive privilege.
The panel concluded that Navarro failed to demonstrate that former President Donald Trump had indeed invoked executive privilege to protect him from the subpoena’s demands. “In short, Dr. Navarro has acknowledged that even if executive privilege had been invoked, that would not have excused his categorical failure to comply with the Select Committee’s subpoena,” wrote D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett.
Navarro, who served a four-month prison sentence for his contempt of Congress conviction, was previously a White House trade adviser during Trump’s first term and has continued in a similar capacity during Trump’s second term. The House committee had subpoenaed him for documents and a deposition in March 2022, which he did not fulfill.
Navarro argued his non-compliance was due to Trump’s assertion of executive privilege. However, the courts, including the D.C. Circuit, determined Navarro could not substantiate this claim. In September 2023, a Washington jury convicted him of two counts of contempt of Congress. He began his prison term in Miami in early 2024.
After his release, Navarro appeared at the Republican National Convention, where he stated, “I went to prison so you won’t have to,” while continuing to appeal his convictions. His appeal was considered by Judges Cornelia Pillard, J. Michelle Childs, and Patricia Millett. Both Millett and Pillard were appointed by former President Barack Obama, while Childs was appointed by President Joe Biden. Navarro’s sentence was handed down by District Judge Amit Mehta, also an Obama appointee.
