Former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced on Thursday to four concurrent months in prison after being convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress, which stemmed from his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta handed down the four-month prison sentence during a 10 a.m. hearing in federal court in Washington, just one hour after it began on Thursday. Prosecutors requested Mehta impose a prison sentence of six months and a fine of $600,000, though the judge decided on a $9,500 fine, saying it was the maximum allowed.
Navarro denies any wrongdoing and argues former President Donald Trump invoked executive privilege to stop him from complying with the subpoena. His counsel requested no more than six months probation and $100 fines on each count and for sentencing to be paused as an appeal proceeds.
Mehta did not rule whether Navarro’s sentence will be stayed pending appeal and requested further briefs before he decides.
Inside the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, Navarro was physically standing during the hearing near the defense table next to four sitting lawyers, Stanley Woodward, Stanley Brand, John Rowley, and John Irving, according to NBC News.
At one point, Woodward argued that a 30-day mandatory minimum jail term for the contempt of Congress conviction should not apply to his client, claiming that there are criteria that Mehta could look into to waive the mandatory minimum term. The judge subsequently denied the request, saying that the mandatory minimum term does apply to Navarro’s conduct.
The judge also ruled against Navarro’s claims that he should receive a lower sentence for acceptance of responsibility for his conduct.
“I haven’t heard a word of contrition from Dr. Navarro since this case began,” Mehta said.
Notably, Mehta gave a striking rebuke of Navarro’s handling of the congressional subpoena request. The judge said that if Navarro had consulted with a lawyer before he was charged, he would not be standing in court on Thursday.
“I have a great deal of respect for your client and all he’s accomplished,” Mehta said, according to Politico. “I really do. That’s what makes it all the more disappointing the way he behaved.”
Woodward said Navarro would not offer any remarks to the court on Thursday, citing the advice of his attorneys. Despite that advice, Navarro spoke out during the hearing to declare that he “had an honest belief that the privilege had been invoked. And I was torn.”
Navarro is the second Trump aide indicted on charges of defying a Jan. 6 committee subpoena. Steve Bannon, a right-wing radio host who was Trump’s campaign chairman and a short-term White House strategist, was convicted in 2022, sentenced to four months in prison, and fined $6,500, though he remains free on appeal.
Mehta noted on Thursday that Navarro’s case “provides a useful barometer” for how to handle his sentencing, adding that Navarro’s assertion of executive privilege carried more weight than Bannon’s because the former strategist had not been in the administration since 2017.
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Prior to the sentencing, Navarro stood outside in damp and overcast weather as he told reporters, “United States v. Peter Navarro has turned out to be a very important landmark constitutional case that is going to resolve important issues about the constitutional separation of powers, as well as the integrity, efficiency of presidential decision-making.”
Navarro, a trade adviser to Trump who was closely involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, became involved in the former president’s efforts to undo his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, based on Trump’s claims that the then-Democratic candidate won through election fraud.
