Much hypocrisy in GOP charges relating to Supreme Court pick

To The Daily Sun,

The N.H. Republican Party reacted with predictable fury when Executive Councilor Michael Cryans announced that he would vote against the nomination of Attorney General MacDonald for Chief Justice of the N.H. Supreme Court. Governor Sununu cried “partisan politics,”, an amazing charge from a man who just vetoed the compromise budget and left school funding in shambles.

State GOP Chair Stephen Stepanek went out on a more bizarre limb, claiming that Cryans’ vote was payback for MacDonald prosecuting former Sen. Jeff Woodburn (for assault and domestic violence misdemeanors).

Both men conveniently disregarded Councilor Cryans’ actual reasons for opposing the nomination, namely, concern about women’s reproductive rights (which MacDonald has spent much of his political life opposing), voting rights, and lack of experience as a judge. His appointment would result in the N.H. Supreme Court having three out of five justices with no prior judicial experience, and he would be the first such chief justice. These very valid reasons to oppose the nomination are shared by many, and perhaps Governor Sununu should have considered these possibilities before throwing MacDonald’s name into the ring (for chief justice, a position it should be noted even the attorney general had the humility not to seek).

GOP Chair Stepanek further alleged that Michael Cyans was “paying back his dues to Ray Buckley and the Democratic machine” for Woodburn. If we fact check this, we will find that Ray Buckley, N.H. Democratic Party chair, was the first public official to call on Sen. Woodburn to resign when the allegations against him became public. As for the rest of the “Democratic machine”, all four members of the N.H. congressional delegation (all Democrats) called for Woodburn’s resignation, as did eight of his nine fellow Democrats in the Senate. Stepanek should be ashamed of promulgating such a blatant lie, and he owes all N.H. Democrats an apology.

When Stepanek added that Cryans’ vote “sends a chilling message to those who have the courage to take on entrenched politicians who are accused of misconduct,” he was aiming his attack at the wrong party, and should instead have been looking in the GOP mirror. As attorney general, Gordon MacDonald received in April 2017 (from the Belknap County Sheriff’s Office, headed by Republican Michael Moyer) a referral for perjury on the part of a Belknap County state representative, Michael Sylvia, a fellow Republican. After some additional investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, which further cemented the perjury evidence, the AG’s office did nothing, waiting quietly for the statute of limitations to run. It was not until April of 2018 that anything happened, and this was in response to NJSA 91-A (Right To Know) requests from concerned citizens of Belknap County. The action then taken by Attorney General MacDonald? Did he “have the courage to take on entrenched politicians” from within his own party? Absolutely not. What the Attorney General then did was to close its file on a newly discovered basis: “lack of jurisdiction.”

The only possible interpretation of the decision that the Attorney General’s Office has no jurisdiction over perjury (a Class B felony carrying a potential prison sentence of 3 1⁄2 to 7 years) is that the perjury statute has been rewritten to exclude a sitting Republican representative.

In the choice of Gordon MacDonald to lead the highest court of New Hampshire, and in circling the wagons with baseless allegations in response to concerns about him, the New Hampshire Republican Party has demonstrated that it continues to value party politics over integrity and fair treatment for all.

Both the Woodburn and the Sylvia situations show that Democrats will condemn one of their own, but Republicans will protect misconduct and criminal behavior by their own at all costs. GOP Chairman Stepanek’s statements about a chilling message apply perfectly to his own party.

Ruth Larson

Alton