{"id":2640548,"date":"2026-08-04T19:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/peter-navarro-asks-full-dc-circuit-to-reopen-contempt-case\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T19:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:09:18","slug":"peter-navarro-asks-full-dc-circuit-to-reopen-contempt-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/peter-navarro-asks-full-dc-circuit-to-reopen-contempt-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Navarro asks full DC Circuit to reopen contempt case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpeter-navarro-asks-full-dc-circuit-to-reopen-contempt-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2640548&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Peter Navarro,a White House trade adviser,has requested a full federal appeals court in Washington,D.C.,to reconsider its previous decision upholding his contempt of Congress conviction. Navarro&#8217;s legal team argues that the court relied on outdated precedent regarding the meaning of \u201cwillfully\u201d in federal contempt law, wich they beleive incorrectly limits his ability to defend himself. His petition focuses on whether prosecutors proved he knew his conduct was unlawful or acted with bad motives, which they contend is a higher standard than previously applied. Navarro was convicted in 2023 and served a four-month prison sentence, but he continues to challenge the case, especially after the department of Justice (DOJ), now under a different administration, initially defended then withdrew its appellate support for him. The case raises broader issues about the interpretation of &#8220;willful&#8221; conduct and executive privilege, with implications for current and former officials asserting privilege in congressional investigations. The outcome depends on whether the DOJ aligns with Navarro\u2019s arguments or maintains its previous stance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> White House trade adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/peter-navarro\/\">Peter Navarro<\/a> on Tuesday asked the full federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., to reconsider its decision upholding his contempt of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a> conviction, arguing a three-judge panel that ruled against him relied on outdated precedent that wrongly narrowed his ability to defend himself at trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro\u2019s attorney, Abhishek Kambli, filed a petition for rehearing en banc with the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after a three-judge panel dealt a blow to his long-running appeal last month. One of the central focuses of his new petition is the meaning of \u201cwillfully\u201d in the federal contempt statute, which prosecutors under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"445\">Biden administration<\/a> used to convict Navarro after he declined to comply with a subpoena from the long-defunct House <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\">Jan. 6<\/a> committee.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674952\/peter-navarro-rehearing-jan-6-committee-contempt\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump trade adviser seeks full court rehearing in Jan. 6 committee contempt case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674809\/wisconsin-judge-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-disabled-voters\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Wisconsin judge rules paper absentee ballots discriminate against disabled voters<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674462\/doj-charges-19-in-alleged-4-million-philadelphia-medicaid-fraud-case-as-fraud-strike-force-tops-45-billion-nationally\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ charges 19 in alleged $4 million Philadelphia Medicaid fraud case as fraud strike force tops $45 billion nationally<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">White House trade counselor Peter Navarro, left, speaks to reporters at the White House, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP26198787152648.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">White House trade counselor Peter Navarro, left, speaks to reporters at the White House, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statute, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/2\/192\">2 U.S.C \u00a7 192<\/a>, criminalizes a witness who \u201cwillfully\u201d defaults on a congressional subpoena. Navarro\u2019s legal team argues the government should have been required to prove he knew his conduct was unlawful or acted with a bad motive rather than merely that he intentionally did not appear, according to a copy of the petition shared exclusively with the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>ahead of its filing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAlmost every Supreme Court case has said the word \u2018willful\u2019 requires that you do it with a bad or an evil motive,\u201d Kambli told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. He argued that a 1961 D.C. Circuit decision, <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/F2\/294\/207\/346117\/\">Licavoli v. United States<\/a><\/em>, adopted a much lower standard that treats an intentional failure to appear as sufficient for conviction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kambli said that precedent is now in tension with decades of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> rulings interpreting willfulness under criminal law, and that the full appeals court should revisit it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540\/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540.01208871018.0.pdf\">three-judge D.C. Circuit panel<\/a> unanimously affirmed Navarro\u2019s two felony convictions last month. The panel found that Navarro asserted executive privilege without receiving direction from President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> and failed to establish that Trump instructed him to withhold testimony or records from the committee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-dc\/pr\/ex-white-house-trade-advisor-peter-navarro-sentenced-four-months-prison-two-counts\">convicted in 2023<\/a> and served a four-month federal prison sentence in 2024. He has continued challenging the conviction even after the Trump Department of Justice withdrew the government\u2019s appellate defense of the case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is not immediately clear whether the DOJ will take a position on Navarro\u2019s new petition or, if it does, whether it will continue defending the conviction. The department is now led by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a>, rather than the Biden administration that prosecuted Navarro, a shift that could place the DOJ closer to his position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the department sides with Navarro, the D.C. Circuit could appoint outside counsel as an amicus to test the government\u2019s previously advanced arguments. That would be an unusual step, but not an unprecedented one.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, a federal judge in Manhattan appointed former Solicitor General Paul Clement as a court-appointed amicus after Trump\u2019s DOJ moved to dismiss the criminal corruption case against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which had been brought during Attorney General Merrick Garland\u2019s tenure. The outside lawyer was asked to address the DOJ\u2019s request and the legal standards governing it. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nysd.uscourts.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-04\/24cr556%20Rule%2048%20Opinion%20and%20Order%20-%20Docketed%204.2.25.pdf\">court later dismissed<\/a> the Adams case with prejudice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navarro\u2019s petition also contends that the trial judge wrongly barred him from presenting evidence and argument that he acted in good faith based on his belief that executive privilege prevented him from responding to the subpoena.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur view is that all that\u2019s required is a good-faith belief that he\u2019s acting on executive privilege,\u201d Kambli said. \u201cIf he believed that in good faith, then there is no bad motive to convict him.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue divided members of the D.C. Circuit in former Trump adviser and <em>War Room <\/em>podcaster <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-bannon\/\">Steve Bannon\u2019s<\/a> contempt case last year. Kambli said the question reaches beyond Trump-era officials because executive privilege disputes can arise under either party when Congress and the White House are controlled by opposing political coalitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis decision actually protects people of both political parties,\u201d Kambli said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that is likely to recur, especially given how politically charged the climate is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4657875\/peter-navarro-contempt-of-congress-conviction-upheld-by-appeals-court\/\">PETER NAVARRO CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS CONVICTION UPHELD BY APPEALS COURT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans currently maintain narrow majorities in both legislative bodies, though the outcome of the November <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a> could alter the power balance. If the party loses the House, Democrats are expected to use their investigative powers and may attempt to compel current or former Trump administration officials to testify under oath.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>contacted the DOJ for a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Navarro seeks full court review of contempt ruling<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2640549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26204742846965.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[83692,55408,36155,33118,32215],"class_list":["post-2640548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-contempt-case","tag-dc-circuit","tag-government-accountability","tag-legal-proceedings","tag-peter-navarro"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26204742846965.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640548"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640551,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640548\/revisions\/2640551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}