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Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro on Thursday defied the advice given by his lawyers to complain directly to Judge Amit Mehta about his conviction for being in criminal contempt of Congress.

As reported by CBS News' Scott MacFarlane, Navarro argued to Mehta that he sincerely believed he was unable to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots because former President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege claims.

Alina Habba, an attorney for Donald Trump, failed to convince U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss a defamation case against her client before he was expected to testify.

On Thursday, Habba made the motion to dismiss after attorneys for E. Jean Carroll rested their case against the former president. Carroll sued Trump for defamation after he denied raping her.

The jury in the E. Jean Carroll damages trial on Thursday saw footage of former President Donald Trump struggling to answer basic questions about his second marriage.

As reported by The Messenger's Adam Klasfeld, Trump in a 2022 deposition was asked by attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is representing Carroll in the case, in which years he was married to Marla Maples.

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta shot down Peter Navarro Thursday after the former White House adviser's lawyers claimed he "accepted responsibility" for contempt of Congress.

At a sentencing hearing, Mehta immediately discounted claims of Navarro's contrition for defying a congressional subpoena from the Jan. 6 Committee.

After Donald Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, was seen partying with her client in New Hampshire after telling court she had a fever, there were expectations that the court would begin with a swift reprimand.

If there was one, it didn't happen in public view.

Appearing on CNN Thursday morning, former Donald Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci pointed to exit polling during the New Hampshire primary which he claimed shows the former president may have won the battle, but is losing the war.

Speaking with hosts Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly, Scaramucci — who advised the Trump campaign in 2016 and later served briefly in the Trump White House, if only for 11 days — claimed that he sees no evidence that the former president is bringing any voters into his camp that didn't support him 2020 — when he lost by 7 million votes.

Former President Donald Trump has continued to rage against writer E. Jean Carroll, the woman who successfully sued him for defaming and sexually abusing her.

In fact, Trump even went so far as to post a whopping 37 attacks on Carroll on his Truth Social account over the span of just two hours.

The lawyer representing Donald Trump in E. Jean Carroll's second defamation suit "should expect sanctions" for her "misrepresentations" after she asked for the trial to be delayed because she was exposed to COVID-19, Newsweek reported Thursday.

Alina Habba told Judge Lewis Kaplan on Monday she wasn't feeling well and asked for a 1-day adjournment. As Newsweek points out, she had tested negative for the virus that morning, as did her co-counsel, but said her parents had been exposed to it and she'd had a fever. A juror also reported being sick.

Reflecting on Donald Trump's less-then-impressive win in New Hampshire and his latest rallies that are being marred by his continual gaffes and rambling, MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski claimed the former president's re-election prospects are dimming.

Speaking with "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough, Brzezinski claimed the "optics' for Trump are not in his favor because he doesn't look well and sounds desperate.

A CNN panel on Thursday expressed bewilderment at former President Donald Trump's decision to launched scorched-Earth attacks on Nikki Haley despite handily defeating her in the 2024 New Hampshire Republican primary.

Democratic strategist David Axelrod found himself stunned that Trump would react with such anger during what should have been a triumphant week for his presidential hopes.

Donald Trump spent two hours overnight posting smears and denials against author E. Jean Carroll ahead of his possible testimony in a defamation trial.

The second defamation trial involving Carroll will resume Thursday following a three-day delay due to a juror's illness, and panelists on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" noted that Trump had made 37 late-night posts about Carroll before he possibly takes the stand.

Louisiana pastor Brad Jurkovich, who for years was the pastor to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), is facing allegations of financial mismanagement from members of his own congregation, reports The Daily Beast.

In a lawsuit filed by congregants in the church, Jurkovich is accused of violating church bylaws while also "alleging that church leaders improperly rewrote the 80-year-old rules in a 'power grab' that transformed the congregation into a Jurkovich-led 'dictatorship,' giving him essentially absolute control over financial and strategic decisions," writes The Daily Beast.

Reacting to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) unleashing a surprisingly harsh attack on Donald Trump as the South Carolina primary looms, "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough claimed the former president is being hindered from firing back over fears he can't be trusted to face off with her in a debate.

On Wednesday, Haley noted concerns about Trump's mental state and suggested that is why he won't debate her which the MSNBC host agreed with.

Listing off the former president's gaffes which have plagued him over the past week — including Trump mistaking Haley with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) -- Scarborough told co-host Mika Brzezinski , "He's scared. He's scared to debate because he doesn't think — he just doesn't think he can — I'm sure his campaign people are like we let him out on a stage in front of a teleprompter and he confuses Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi."

" Barack Obama; he thinks Barack Obama is president of the United States, thinks he ran against him and beat him," he continued. "So, like, they're horrified of the prospect of Donald Trump on a debate stage with Nikki Haley because I guess they don't think he is mentally fit."

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"Think about it," co-host Wille Geist jumped in, "When is the last time you saw Donald Trump have to perform on his feet? Meaning, take a question from a voter, debate someone, do something where he had to be prepared and to react to something."

"They don't put him in those situations anymore," he elaborated. "It's not — when you stand in front of an adoring crowd and vomit conspiracy theories and confuse Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi — that's not acting on your feet, that's giving a speech. They don't want him in those scenarios."