Peter Navarro Has Been Released From Prison — Why Was He There to Begin With?
"The J6 committee demanded that I betray Donald John Trump to save my own skin."
Published July 18 2024, 9:47 a.m. ET
Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro was just released from a four-month stint in prison. To thunderous applause, Navarro made his post-prison debut at the 2024 Republican National Convention, taking the stage just hours after being released from his cell in Miami. As reported by AP News, Navarro used his speech to attack the committee that put him in jail and insisted that his prison sentence was a sign of his loyalty to Trump.
"The J6 committee demanded that I betray Donald John Trump to save my own skin," he said. "I refused."
What exactly landed Peter Navarro in prison in the first place?
Why did Peter Navarro go to prison? It has to do with January 6.
Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in a Miami prison in March 2024 for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6 riots and insurrection. Per CBS News, Navarro told a group of reporters that his conviction was came from lawmakers, prosecutors, and judges who were "Trump-haters."
"Congressional investigators were seeking documents and testimony from the former White House official tied to his post 2020-election conduct and efforts to delay the certification of Electoral College votes," CBS reported.
Navarro was originally sentenced in January 2024, but he appealed both his conviction and the judge's decision to enforce his sentence, as he argued that the separation of executive powers was not being upheld.
His legal team argued, "Dr. Navarro does not dispute that his failure to comply with the congressional subpoena at issue was deliberate. Rather, he contests that any such prosecution was consistent with the separation of powers doctrine."
