Appeals Court Affirms Peter Navarro’s Contempt Conviction

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the contempt of Congress conviction of Peter Navarro, a former White House trade adviser. The panel rejected Navarro’s claim that former President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege to shield him from the House Select Committee’s subpoena for documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

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Navarro was subpoenaed in March 2022 by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault. He refused to produce the requested records or appear for a deposition, asserting that Trump had granted him executive privilege. A Washington jury convicted him in September 2023 on two felony counts of contempt of Congress. He served a four-month federal prison term in Miami in early 2024 and was released shortly before speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Associated Press

The judges found no documentation of a three-minute phone call or any formal directive from Trump. They also noted that both the Biden administration and Congress had consistently pursued accountability, and that the executive branch had informed Navarro that his privilege claim was unjustified.

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Navarro’s attorney, Abhishek Kambli, said the decision “was not surprising” and framed the appeal as a broader test of senior presidential advisers’ reliance on executive privilege.

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“As it turns out, the Political Branches are entirely in accord this time. Congress held Dr. Navarro in contempt,” — Patricia Millett, circuit judge

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