Navarro has been ordered to report to a federal prison by March 19, after being convicted for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Navarro had argued that he should remain free as he appeals his conviction, but a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. disagreed. They determined that his appeal was unlikely to overturn the conviction, thereby dismissing his request. Navarro's lawyers have chosen not to comment on the ruling, but they have previously indicated that they may appeal to the Supreme Court.

This marks the second Trump aide to be convicted of contempt of Congress charges, with former White House adviser Steve Bannon already receiving a four-month sentence. However, Bannon was allowed to remain free pending the outcome of his appeal, granted by a different judge.

Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House Jan. 6 committee. Known for serving as a White House trade adviser under former President Donald Trump, Navarro later vocally supported Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Navarro's defense rested on Trump's invocation of executive privilege, claiming that he couldn't cooperate with the committee because of it. However, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Navarro failed to provide evidence of Trump actually invoking executive privilege, and as a result, barred him from presenting this argument during the trial.

With the appeals court decision going against him, Navarro's path to avoid the pending jail sentence narrows. As the deadline approaches, Navarro must now consider whether to pursue further legal avenues in his quest to overturn the conviction.