Guests - Betsy Smith, Matt Neely, Keith Gross
Smith and Winn: Justice Denied in Pima County
The Murder of Paul Clifford: A Community Betrayed
The heartbreaking story of Paul Clifford demonstrates a disturbing pattern in Pima County's criminal justice system. On Christmas Eve last year, Clifford was lured from his home by relatives claiming car trouble. These individuals—a 16-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man, and a 40-year-old named Jack Upchurch—murdered him and set his body on fire. His smoldering remains were discovered beside his vehicle.
The criminals were originally charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, third-degree burglary, evidence tampering, and vehicle theft. However, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover's office has decided to enter into plea deals with all three perpetrators:
The young female, Wendy Scott, will receive only probation
The 19-year-old will get one year in jail (likely time served)
Jack Upchurch, the 40-year-old with a criminal history, will avoid the death penalty despite being eligible under Arizona law
As National Police Association spokesperson Betsy Smith notes, "None of this is the rule of law. It's just the opposite."
Christina Clifford, Paul's widow of 30 years, is devastated by this miscarriage of justice. The plea deals mean she won't get the opportunity to speak in court for two of the perpetrators. Most disturbingly, these relatives know where she lives and that she advocated for their imprisonment.
"Is she ever going to get another good night's sleep in her Pima County, Arizona home?" Brantner-Smith asks. "Why should she be displaced? Why should she have to live in fear?"
Matt Neely, assistant program director, points out the compounding failures: "It's mistakes compounding on mistakes, snowballing, and somebody dying." Despite the 40-year-old Jack Upchurch having been arrested in October for theft of three vehicles, he was released to pretrial services. Christina Clifford has pleaded with the board of supervisors and sheriff's department for help, but no one has responded to her pleas.
Border Crisis: National Impact of Failed Policies
The deadly consequences of failed border policies were highlighted by a recent incident in New York City. An off-duty Border Patrol agent was shot in the face while in Manhattan's Fort Washington Park with his date. Two illegal immigrants on a moped attempted to rob them. The agent drew his service weapon and shot one assailant in the chest, but the other shot the agent in the face and arm, destroying his teeth and causing catastrophic injuries to his jaw and neck.
Both attackers were illegal aliens with deportation orders. Most troublingly, they likely entered through the Tucson sector in 2023. These individuals received transportation to New York, housing, food, and other benefits paid for by American taxpayers.
"Being shot in the neck and arm, all his teeth blown out, his face catastrophically injured... It's likely this 41-year-old border patrol agent won't return to work," Smith observed. "That's really a travesty."
This case exemplifies how border security failures in Arizona create devastating ripple effects nationwide. One of the assailants, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was apprehended at San Luis (near Yuma) in April 2023 but released under the "catch and release" policy despite having criminal warrants in Arizona and Massachusetts, including kidnapping charges.
Attorney General Kris Mayes: Obstructing Progress
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes exemplifies another troubling pattern in the state's leadership. Despite voters nearly electing Abe Hamadeh (now a congressman), Mayes has used her position to actively obstruct the Trump administration rather than serve Arizonans.
Mayes has joined 20 other attorneys general in suing over changes to Medicaid provisions for illegal immigrants—revealing the lie that illegal immigrants don't receive federal benefits. According to Brantner-Smith, this affects approximately half a million illegal immigrants currently on Medicaid in Arizona.
"The state of Arizona doesn't make money. They take our money. And they want to give it to illegal aliens so they can get their free medical care while you and I either pay for our medical care or go without," notes Smith.
This is just one of 23 lawsuits Mayes has joined against the Trump administration, including efforts to:
Block voter ID requirements
Prevent federal workforce reductions
Stop the dismantling of the Department of Education
Maintain Medicaid for illegal immigrants
These actions directly contradict the will of Arizona voters who elected Donald Trump and should be receiving legal representation aligned with their interests.
Keith Gross: Defending the American Dream
Attorney Keith Gross, author of "Dirt Roads to Runways: Defending the American Dream for the Next Generation," offers perspective on restoring constitutional governance. A former prosecutor and Montana National Guard intelligence analyst, Gross now runs a venture capital firm and law practice.
Gross argues that America needs to reclaim its constitutional foundations: "The Constitution lays out a simple form of federal government with the power to do most things in the hands of the states. We need to claw back the power that the federal government's been taking from the states over the last several decades."
On the recent budget bill, Gross takes a practical view: "There's no such thing as perfection. You can either have an imperfect bill that gets some things done, or you can just have nothing." He cites funding for ICE and making tax cuts permanent as important wins, while acknowledging the bill didn't cut enough spending.
Regarding tariffs and American manufacturing, Gross believes they're necessary to level the playing field: "If we want to employ Americans, we've got to level the playing field so American businesses don't have a situation where it costs 10 times as much to make it in the US as they can buy it from China."
Gross sees hope for America's future under Trump's leadership: "We've got a chance right now to reverse decades of a downward spiral, turn it around and start pushing back against the ever-expanding government, push back against bad foreign trade deals, and really take control of our country again on behalf of citizens."
A Call to Action: Elections Have Consequences
The connection between electoral choices and community safety couldn't be clearer. From plea deals that favor criminals over victims to illegal immigrants who victimize Americans, failed leadership at every level has created these problems.
Upcoming elections offer opportunities for change. The CD7 special election on September 23rd and city council elections could reshape local governance priorities. As Winn notes, "Let's not put people into these positions that have no regard for the law, for the Constitution, and that think that communism is the very best thing to do."
The successful effort to stop a sales tax demonstrates that voters can cross party lines when motivated by important issues. The same energy could transform leadership across Pima County and Tucson.
"In a country where we need to enforce our laws, let's not put people into these positions that have no regard for the law, for the Constitution," Winn concludes. "Be a patriot, vote for conservative values."