Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he “would absolutely” rehire his former economic adviser, Peter Navarro, if re-elected in November. Navarro is currently serving a four-month prison sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to the January 6th Capitol attack. He began his sentence in March and has served two months so far.
Navarro recently told the Wall Street Journal that he does not want a pardon from Trump if he returns to office. Instead, he believes the Supreme Court will eventually release him while he challenges his conviction. Despite this, Trump expressed unwavering support for Navarro when questioned by the Wall Street Journal about rehiring the convicted inmate. “I would absolutely have Peter back. This outrageous behavior by the Democrats should not have happened,” Trump said in a statement.
Although Navarro is hopeful that the Supreme Court will intervene, the court has twice denied his request to be released from prison. Despite these setbacks, Navarro remains resolute, claiming he has “no regrets” and stating, “I didn’t choose this fight, the fight chose me.” He emphasized his commitment to a significant constitutional issue, saying, “I will not give the Supreme Court any excuse to duck what is otherwise a landmark constitutional case regarding the separation of power and executive privilege,” in an email from his Miami prison.
Last year, a DC jury found Navarro guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress. The charges stemmed from his failure to produce documents related to the Capitol attack and his refusal to comply with a deposition by a House select committee. Navarro had been a key figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, detailing his role in these efforts to MSNBC’s Ari Melber.
