<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1655151822686,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1655151822686,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54011074", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1023014"} }); ","_id":"00000181-5ebc-d590-a5f1-debf83130000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video Embed
A federal judge rejected former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro‘s request for a delayed arraignment and issued a protective order limiting his discussion of his Jan. 6 case Monday.
District Court Judge Amit Mehta noted the public interest in the case and sided with the federal prosecutors in determining that Navarro failed to make a strong argument for why a 45-day extension was necessary.
PETER NAVARRO SLAMS FEDERAL PROSECUTORS, WHO ACCUSED HIM OF LYING ABOUT ARREST, FOR ‘FALSE’ CLAIMS
“The public interest weighs in favor of moving this case forward through its preliminary stages. Whether or not counsel enters an appearance, the timing of these proceedings will be based on the factors the court is required to consider, including Defendant’s need for time to prepare his defense and the public interest in bringing this matter to trial,” Mehta wrote.
Navarro was indicted earlier this month on contempt of Congress charges levied against him after he failed to obey a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Navarro has sued the Jan. 6 committee and a federal prosecutor over subpoenas against him seeking information on his efforts to challenge the 2020 election.
Last week, Navarro pleaded with the court in Washington, D.C., to grant him a 45-day extension for his arraignment and status conference scheduled for this Friday to give him breathing room to find adequate legal counsel. He also requested the court bar federal prosecutors from filing additional motions during that time, but Mehta found “no valid basis for such an extraordinary order.”
Although Navarro initially dropped hints he would represent himself “pro se” in the contempt of Congress charges against him, he then asked the court for an extension so he could have sufficient time to find the “appropriate representation and time to develop an appropriate legal strategy.”
In addition to dismissing his extension request, Mehta put Navarro on notice with a protective order restricting material that Navarro can divulge from his case to the public. The protective order encompasses “all materials provided by the United States in preparation” but does not include “documents that are or become part of the public court record.”
“To be clear, this is not a ‘gag’ order. The protective order does not bar Defendant from making public statements about these proceedings. Rather, the protective order places limits on Defendant’s use of discovery materials produced by the government. Defendant must abide by its terms, absent a modification by the court,” Mehta wrote.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Washington Examiner reached out to Navarro for comment.
