Jul 17, 2024,10:30am EDT
TOPLINE
Former Trump advisor Peter Navarro, who is set to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee tonight, was released from a Miami federal prison Wednesday morning after completing a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.
KEY FACTS
- Navarro was found guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress last year for his refusal to testify and submit documents to the committee.
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons database confirms Navarro’s release date as Wednesday, with multiple news outlets reporting his departure from the federal correctional facility that morning.
- The committee’s final report claimed Navarro played a significant role in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct the certification of results on January 6, 2021.
- Navarro is anticipated to address the Republican National Convention, now in its third day, as the party rallies around Trump.
KEY BACKGROUND
Navarro held various senior roles in the Trump White House, advising on trade and economic policy. He supported Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and detailed his involvement in the scheme to delay Congress’ certification of the election results, alongside former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, in a 2021 memoir. Navarro tried to claim executive privilege to avoid complying with the committee’s subpoenas, but a federal judge rejected this defense last year.
TANGENT
Democrats plan to emphasize the GOP’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results this year, with Trump facing criminal charges in Washington and Georgia related to the scheme. In addition to Navarro, Bannon is serving a four-month sentence for non-cooperation with the House January 6 committee. Trump, Bannon, and Navarro have consistently denied any wrongdoing.