Last week’s article in the Monitor by Josh Rogers, NH Public Radio, was about our governor’s opinion on Donald Trump on the eve of the former president’s trial in New York. It was titled “Sununu says he’ll support Trump even if he’s convicted.” It reminded me of our governor’s words over a year ago when a NH jury found Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the driver of a truck that killed 7 motorcyclists, innocent. The article was about an ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos in which Sununu reversed his earlier argument that Trump should leave the presidential race if convicted of a felony. In the interview he says he no longer believes that and argues that most voters now view the charges against Trump as reality TV. In essence he is saying no matter what the jury decides in the ongoing trial, he will support the former president.

What’s the connection with the motorcycle trial? When that case was sent to the jury it took less than 4 hours to acquit Mr. Zhukovskyy. The governor and his attorney general, John Formella, immediately went to the public to express their disgust of the jury’s decision. The jurors had the facts in making their decision. Sununu and Formella did not. To me it showed a lack of respect for the jurors and even worse a lack of fundamental understanding of our constitutional right of a trila by jury. Now that our governor feels the NY trial is reality TV, he is again showing a lack of respect for jurors and our rules of law. He seems to have no courage of conviction in what he says and does, except in one case. Back in 2016 when first running for governor he called himself a ‘Trump guy through and through.’ That seems to still be true.

Nick Perencevich

Concord