Salena Zito: Peter Navarro's book is a raw retelling of his experience in prison

Peter Navarro, who spent four months in federal prison for a contempt of Congress order over the Jan. 6 investigations and now serves as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, said in an interview about his newest book, "I Went to Prison So You Won't Have To: A Love and Lawfare Story in Trump Land," that despite being convicted and jailed, he never broke.

It is a sentiment he still carries with him today.

The book is a vivid tale; he unpacks how he was a victim of a weaponized justice system while detailing his experiences in what he calls a flawed minimum-security federal prison in Miami. The book also draws the reader in through a series of emotional letters and diary accounts shared between him and his fiancee and coauthor Bonnie "Pixie" Brenner that describe the emotional effect of his prison time.

A diligent note-keeper, Navarro said that at the time, he realized it would likely become a landmark constitutional case at the Supreme Court on the constitutional separation of powers and executive privilege.

"And so I kept very detailed notes through the legal process," he explained.

Brenner said watching this play out in real time stretched her emotions in a way she did not know possible. "The first time I was able to visit him at the visiting room in prison, I was part of that long line, mostly women and children, that were waiting to see their loved ones," she said.

She had no idea what to expect when she finally saw him come out. "Was he going to be wearing an orange jumpsuit or black and white stripes?" she asked. "I didn't know." When she saw a parade of men emerge, including Navarro, all in green jumpsuits, she said her heart broke.

"I had tears in my eyes because, not only for Peter, but all the children that were heading to see their families or fathers," she said. "And then I started to wonder, how do they get to this level to be locked up?"

Navarro said in an interview that the book serves as a warning: If this could happen to a senior White House official, then what is stopping the justice system from allowing this to happen to anyone?

He and Brenner called what happened to the economist a wake-up call for all Americans.

The book is raw, personal and detailed, giving a good argument for transparency in justice system oversight as well as meaningful justice reform.

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Salena Zito is a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner.