Trump makes last-ditch effort to save Peter Navarro from prosecution

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro is set to go on trial soon on criminal contempt of Congress charges for his refusal to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots.

Former President Donald Trump, however, has decided to make a last-ditch effort to rescue him from legal jeopardy.

Politico reports that lawyers representing Trump this week filed a letter with a federal court arguing that Navarro was correct to blow off the House Select Committee after the former president supposedly invoked executive privilege over any potential testimony he might give.

"This confirms President Trump’s position that, as one of his senior advisors, you had an obligation to assert executive privilege on his behalf and fully comply with the principles of confidentiality stated above when you responded to the Committee’s subpoena," the letter states.

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However, Politico's report expresses skepticism that this letter will be enough to sway U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta to drop the charges against Navarro, and it notes that a similar effort to rescue fellow Trump adviser Steve Bannon in the past fell flat.

"Navarro, like Bannon, both claimed that they were categorically 'immune' from appearing before the Jan. 6 committee to discuss their involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election," Politico writes. "But U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols rejected Bannon’s contention, noting that longstanding legal precedents don’t permit witnesses to defy congressional subpoenas even over assertions of executive privilege."

Bannon last year was found guilty on criminal contempt of Congress charges, although he has yet to serve any prison time while he is appealing the case.