Ex-Trump adviser begins prison sentence, first Trump-era official to be jailed

Peter Navarro, ex-trade adviser to former President Donald Trump, started serving a four-month jail term for contempt of congress in federal prison on Tuesday.

Navarro didn’t follow a subpoena (a written order to attend a court of law to give evidence) about the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, reported BBC.

This is the first time someone from Trump’s time in office has been jailed for contempt of Congress.

Navarro, 74, went to federal prison in Miami.

He was found guilty last year of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House of Representatives committee that investigated the 2021 attack on the Capitol.

A 12-member jury convicted Navarro on two counts of contempt after he refused to testify or turn over documents to the Democratic-led House panel that investigated the January 6, 2021 riot by Trump supporters and broader attempts by Trump, a Republican, to reverse his 2020 election defeat.

NAVARRO MEETING WITH REPORTERS BEFORE GOING TO JAIL

He talked to reporters in the parking lot of a shopping centre before going to a federal jail in Miami.

Navarro also talked about his upcoming book, said federal judges are unfair because they favour one political side, and strongly supported Trump, who is the Republican Presidential candidate.

Navarro said he thinks the Supreme Court will overturn his conviction, but the “tragedy” would be that “I will have already done my time” in prison, according to BBC.

NAVARRO’S ROLE BEYOND TRADE ADVISER

Navarro wasn’t just a trade adviser; he also worked to try to change the results of the 2020 election, so Trump could stay in power.

The people who went onto Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, wanted to stop lawmakers from saying Trump had lost the election.

Navarro was told to give Congress emails and documents in February 2022, but he didn’t. He said Trump told him not to because of executive privilege, a rule that lets some White House talks stay secret.

The judge in the case said executive privilege did not shield Navarro from the subpoena.

Navarro got his sentence at the end of January and had to pay $9,500.

His lawyers said he should stay out of jail while appealing, but Supreme Court Chief John Roberts Jr refused to delay the sentence.

Navarro wrote a book saying he helped plan to challenge the election results. But officials said there was no proof of cheating.

Another Trump-era official, former campaign strategist Steve Bannon, also got in trouble with two counts of contempt for refusing the committees summon.

He was also sentenced to four months.

However, Bannon was allowed to stay out of jail while his defence team appeals, reported the BBC.