Former President Donald Trump isn't the only one facing charges and potential convictions, as many of his former inner circle are also fighting to clear their names and avoid convictions.
According to Politico, former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro was shot down by a federal judge in his attempt to stay out of prison while he awaits an appeal.
The appeal Navarro filed was in response to charges stemming from his avoidance of complying with a Jan. 6-related subpoena.
The outlet noted:
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said Navarro’s claim that he might succeed on appeal was not enough of a basis to postpone a four-month prison term that Mehta handed down last month.
Navarro unsuccessfully argued to the Obama-appointed judge that he believed he had "testimonial immunity" at the time the subpoena was issued due to his former position in Trump's administration.
The former Trump adviser also argued that "he believed Trump had asserted executive privilege to block his testimony to Congress; and that the prosecution smacked of political bias."
BREAKING: Judge rejects Peter Navarro’s bid for release pending appealhttps://t.co/vXdvynl8Um
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) February 9, 2024
Judge Mehta issued a 12-page ruling in rejecting Navarro's defense, making it clear that the former Trump aide's defense wasn't strong enough to convince him to keep him out of prison for the time being.
"Defendant’s cynical, self-serving claim of political bias poses no question at all, let alone a ‘substantial’ one," Mehta wrote.
If the ruling stands, Navarro could be the first person from Trump's former inner circle to do prison time.
Navarro was hit with two charges in 2022 for "one for refusing to testify and another for refusing to turn over documents."
The former Trump aide reportedly cited "Nixon-era court rulings" to convince the judge that the issue was complex enough to warrant a pause while an appeals court figured it out. The judge obviously didn't agree.
"If anything, President Nixon did what President Trump could have done here. Through his counsel, he unequivocally claimed executive privilege by moving to quash the grand jury subpoena," Mehta wrote. “Because the court found no evidence that President Trump ever invoked the privilege, no ‘presumption’ ever attached to Defendant’s testimony or records."
Trump, so far, has been quiet on the issue, though that could change down the road.
