DC Appeals Court Upholds Peter Navarro Contempt Convictions

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the felony convictions of Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress. The court ruled that Navarro failed to prove President Donald Trump formally invoked executive privilege to shield him from a March 2022 subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In the opinion written by Judge Patricia Millett, the court found that Navarro asserted executive privilege unilaterally and without consulting the president. The ruling noted that Navarro refused to provide documents not subject to privilege and failed to engage with the committee's efforts to accommodate his claims. Navarro had previously been convicted of two counts of contempt in September 2023 and served a four-month prison sentence in early 2024.

Despite the ruling, Navarro's attorney, Abhishek Kambli, stated that the defense intends to continue the appeal process. Kambli indicated that the legal challenge aims to correct decades of court precedent regarding congressional subpoenas and executive privilege to protect other senior presidential advisers who believe they cannot comply with such requests in good faith.