By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to stop the implementation of a prison sentence for former Trump White House official Peter Navarro while he challenges his contempt of Congress conviction.
Navarro is set to start serving a four-month sentence at a federal prison on Tuesday, following his misdemeanor conviction for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He had requested to remain free during his appeal of the conviction.
Navarro has argued that he could not cooperate with the committee because former President Donald Trump had claimed executive privilege. However, lower courts have dismissed this argument, stating that he could not prove Trump had actually invoked it.
The order issued on Monday by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles urgent requests from Washington, D.C., stated that he sees no reason to disagree with the appeals court decision, although he mentioned that the decision does not impact the final outcome of Navarro’s appeal.
His lawyer Stanley Woodward declined to provide a comment.
Navarro, who served as a White House trade adviser, became the second Trump associate to be convicted of misdemeanor contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon previously received a four-month sentence but was allowed to remain free while appealing by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Trump.
Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House Jan. 6 committee. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, rejected his request to avoid his prison sentence, and the federal appeals court in Washington concurred.
The Supreme Court is also separately preparing to hear arguments on whether Trump himself has presidential immunity from charges alleging he interfered in the 2020 election.
