Steve Zipperman: My Thoughts On Trump’s Indictments
Editors’ Note: Steve Zipperman is running for the Arizona Senate Legislative District 1 seat. Mr. Zipperman lost the election for this important district in 2022 by approximately 250 votes to incumbent Ken Bennett. Replacing Bennett with Steve Zipperman, a true and strong constitutional Republican and patriot will strengthen the Arizona Legislature and restore governing by consent (We the People) to the citizens of Prescott, Arizona. The Prickly Pear strongly endorses Steve Zipperman and believes he is the best and only candidate in this race to deliver and actually represent the interests of the citizens of Arizona LD 1 and all citizens of our great state. Steve’s Zip Line essays are an excellent way to learn about his governing and ideological commitment to LD 1 voters and citizens. The Prickly Pear encourages our readers to study Steve Zipperman’s philosophy of governing and representing the constituency granting him consent to govern. His foundational beliefs in election integrity, limited government, liberty, equal justice under the law, border security, law and order, and the sanctity of life are very much in sync with The Prickly Pear Mission Statement. We are proud to urge Prescott voters to elect Steve Zipperman to the Arizona Senate and deliver an accomplished and true constitutional conservative to represent all LD 1 citizens.
From my perspective, the indictment of former President Trump marks a troubling chapter in American history, seen by many as a politically motivated attack that undermines the integrity of the judicial system and reflects the weaponization of legal mechanisms to target political adversaries.
Unsurprisingly, the conviction of the former President on 34 felonies triggered celebrations among Democrats. This jubilant atmosphere extended to the media, with former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman calling it “a day to celebrate” on MSNBC.
In my opinion, the verdict is outrageous and celebrating it is premature because Trump’s trial is filled with grounds for appeal, including numerous reversible errors. Many of these errors were created by acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan when he donated to President Biden. However, the NY State Bar cleared Marchan due to the small size of the contribution, even though it stressed that Judges should not make such donations.
Merchan’s presiding over the trial was extremely problematic. His rulings were highly biased, and often incomprehensible. For example, he accepted prejudicial evidence, including testimony from Stormy Daniels suggesting that Trump raped her.
Merchan later blamed defense counsel for not objecting to the admission of that evidence, despite previously chastising them for making objections. He also permitted prosecutors to introduce plea agreements and non-prosecution agreements as evidence but instructed the jury to consider them only for credibility. The prosecutors, however, claimed these as facts, and Judge Marchan overruled timely defense objections.
The charges themselves are contentious. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg used an unprecedented criminal theory to prosecute Trump for violations of federal law, despite the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission declining to pursue charges. The indictment’s reliance on New York’s election law was unfounded.
Merchan’s jury instructions added to the confusion by allowing the jury to convict without identifying which of the vaguely defined crimes Trump committed. Under the Sixth Amendment, jury verdicts must be unanimous to convict a defendant of a non-petty offense in both federal and state criminal trials.
Although appeals are sparingly granted, the trial in this case screams out as a witch hunt by a star chamber. This monumental case will get a lot of attention, and it should ultimately be overruled on appeal. But the appellate decision will not be announced until after the 2024 Presidential election. This indictment is a stark reminder of the fragility of the rule of law, and the need to safeguard against manipulating our legal system for political gain.
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Steve Zipperman is an attorney running for the Arizona Senate LD#1, representing the Prescott area. Go to vote@Zipperman.com for more details about his positions and policy recommendations.