Trump Aide Peter Navarro Loses Bid For New Trial, Faces Sentencing At End of the Month

Former Trump aide Peter Navarro will be sentenced at the end of the month, January 25th, for his criminal contempt of Congress conviction after losing an appeal Tuesday for a new trial.

Navarro, who served as a trade advisor in Trump’s administration, was convicted in September 2023 on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing a House subpoena to appear before the Jan. 6th Committee.

US District Judge Amit Mehta rejected Navarro’s request for a new trial and shot down claims that the jury had somehow been prejudiced against him by witnessing protests in a nearby park.

“The evidence establishes that the jurors only interacted with each other and (Court Security officer Rosa) Torres in John Marshall Park,” Judge Mehta ruled, adding:

No one directed any words or displayed any signs at them. No one approached them. Moreover, the scene itself was relatively placid. There was no indiscriminate yelling or chanting. No one held a sign above their head. There were no activities resembling a ‘protest.’

Simply put, Defendant has failed to show that he was prejudiced in any way by the jury’s brief break in John Marshall Park.

Navarro is a regular fixture on hard-right media, including on Steve Bannon’s far-right podcast. Bannon is also appealing his contempt of Congress conviction for refusing a House subpoena.