By Jerald Jimenez
17 Jul 2024, 10:33 AM EDT
Peter Navarro, who served as an economic adviser under President Donald Trump, has been released from a federal prison in Miami after serving a four-month sentence. The former president’s campaign confirmed that Navarro plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Navarro was sentenced in 2023 for contempt of Congress after failing to produce requested documents and failing to appear before the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol assault.
During his trial, Navarro argued that, based on an invocation of executive privilege by then-President Trump, he did not have to comply with the House committee’s demands. But that defense was ultimately rejected, and the former adviser was convicted of “a total contempt” of the House committee and “the rule of law.”
Before his imprisonment, Navarro criticized his conviction as “an unprecedented assault on the constitutional separation of powers.” Despite his attempts to appeal the sentence and avoid jail time, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts dismissed his request.
Navarro prepared several reports related to the 2020 election, citing claims of alleged voter fraud. One of them was mentioned by Trump in January 2021, when he called on his supporters to protest in Washington, DC, which culminated in the temporary takeover of the Capitol.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, has also been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress in connection with the Capitol assault. Unlike Navarro, however, Bannon has been released pending an appeal.
With information from EFE