Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro addressed the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, just hours after his release from a Miami federal prison. He had completed a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the January 6 congressional committee.
Navarro delivered a stark message to the convention attendees in Milwaukee, where Donald Trump was formally nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential candidate. “I got a very simple message for you. If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you,” he warned.
Navarro is one of two members from Trump’s inner circle who were convicted for not complying with subpoenas from the now-dissolved House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Trump adviser Steve Bannon began serving his four-month sentence earlier this month at a federal prison in Connecticut.
During his time at the prison camp, Navarro, who is in his 70s, worked as a law library clerk, according to his prison consultant Sam Mangel. “Everybody has to work,” Mangel explained. “It gave him a chance to write.” Mangel also mentioned that Navarro was well-liked and respected by fellow inmates. “When I went to visit him, guys were coming up to him, high-fiving him,” Mangel said.
At the end of his speech at the convention, Navarro invited his fiancée to join him onstage, saying, “This is my beautiful girl. She did the time with me.” He concluded with a call to action: “Now here’s the sweetest thing that’s going to come off my lips: Vote Trump-Vance ’24 for Trump 47.”
Defying the Subpoena
Navarro’s conviction stemmed from his refusal to comply with a subpoena during the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Lawmakers highlighted Navarro’s involvement in delaying Congress’ certification of the election results and cited his own account in his memoir describing the related plots.
A federal jury found Navarro guilty last summer on two counts of contempt: failing to produce documents and not appearing for an interview requested by the committee. Before the trial, Navarro attempted to argue that he was acting under Trump’s direction, who had invoked executive privilege. However, the judge barred this defense, stating Navarro had not provided sufficient evidence that Trump had formally asserted the privilege.
While Navarro’s emergency appeal to delay his prison sentence was unsuccessful, he is currently appealing his conviction on its merits.
The federal correctional facility where Navarro served his sentence since March is one of the oldest prison camps in the country. It houses fewer than 200 inmates and has a significant Puerto Rican population.
Credit: CNN
