Texas Gov. Rick Perry Indicted For Abuse Of Power

[PoliticalTorch]

Governor Perry has reportedly again flirted with the idea of running for president of the United States. But an Austin grand jury has indicted Perry for abuse of official capacity and and coercion of a public servant. How is this likely to affect the Republicans later this year in the midterm election and two years from now in the general election?

AUSTIN -- A grand jury has chosen to indict Texas Gov. Rick Perry following an investigation into whether the governor abused his power by vetoing state funds for the Travis County District Attorney's Office last year.


Gov. Rick Perry is charged with the following:

• Gov. Perry is charged with one count of abuse of official capacity, a class A misdemeanor. This charge could be enhanced into a felony due to the amount of money that is involved.
• Gov. Perry is also charged with coercion of a public servant, a class A misdemeanor.

Perry vetoed state funds for the office after District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg refused to resign following a DWI conviction.


After the veto, Perry said he could not give money to Lehmberg's office because she had lost the public's confidence after her arrest in April 2013. Lehmberg pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. She served 21 days.


Upon his indictment, Perry must turn himself in to the Travis County Jail, where he will be booked, fingerprinted and have his mug shot taken. A pre-trial hearing will be arranged within the next few weeks.


Defense attorneys could file a motion to have the indictment thrown out, which would delay a trial, or seek to have a trial within the next 90 days.
Perry can continue to serve as governor while under indictment. He can also continue as governor if convicted, but he could be stripped of office through a separate legislative removal process.


Perry could be charged with coercion of a public servant, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine, abuse of official capacity, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine, and bribery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.


Last year, Lehmberg was allowed to keep her job following a civil trial based on a lawsuit filed by an Austin lawyer citing a Texas constitutional code states an elected official can be removed for intoxication on or off duty.


A complaint by watchdog group Texas for Justice alleged Perry violated state laws concerning bribery, coercion and abuse of authority.
The veto meant that the Public Integrity Unit, which investigates ethics complaints against politicians statewide and is housed in Lehmberg's office, was left without a $7.5 million two-year allocation. Travis County commissioners later agreed to partially fund the operation, but two employees lost their jobs.


A Perry spokesperson said that the governor broke no laws and exercised his constitutional veto authority through line-item vetoes in the budget.
A Texas judge called for special prosecutor Michael McCrum to look into Perry's actions last year. A grand jury spent four months looking at evidence in the case and hearing testimony from members of the governor's staff, all of whom testified before the grand jury.


This case is the last open investigation related to Lehmberg's DWI arrest.
KEY PLAYERS IN THE PERRY CASE
Craig McDonald, complainant and director of Texans for Public Justice

• Filed criminal complaint against Perry days after veto
• Complaint alleged Perry broke several misdemeanor and felony state laws
• Complaint was initially sent to State District Judge Julie Kocurek in Travis County
• Kocurek recused herself, and a special judge and prosecutor were appointed to handle the matter

Michael McCrum, special prosecutor

• San Antonio native
• Appointed by State District Judge Bert Richardson in August 2013 to handle Perry inquiry
• Former federal prosecutor hired during President George H.W. Bush administration
• Selected by President Barack Obama for a U.S. attorney position in Texas, but withdrew his name from consideration
• Currently works primarily in San Antonio criminal defense practice, specializes in white collar crimes

Bert Richardson, state district judge

• ​San Antonio native
• Appointed in July 2013 by State District Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield to handle Perry inquiry; Stubblefield is presiding judge for region
• 25 years of trial experience as a lawyer and a judge
• Current Republican candidate for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

David Botsford, Perry defense attorney

• Hired by Perry for $450 an hour at taxpayer expense in April
• Has successfully represented doctors, lawyers, oil executives and other notable clients
• Has said Perry veto was "carried out in both the spirit and the letter of the law"

Grand jury indicts Gov. Rick Perry on two charges

God you Liberal ****stains are reaching for anything, aren't you?

How so? The guy brought that all on himself. You obviously have chosen to ignore that and remain in denial of it.

 

[boedicca]

Perry is a PIKER compared to "I've got a phone and a pen" Obama.

Just sayin'.

 

[nitroz]

A grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption — making the possible 2016 presidential hopeful his state's first indicted governor in nearly a century.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

Several top aides to the Republican governor appeared before grand jurors in Austin, including his deputy chief of staff, legislative director and general counsel. Perry himself did not testify, though.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

rand jurors indicted Perry on abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

he dun goofed

 

[The T]

Governor Perry has reportedly again flirted with the idea of running for president of the United States. But an Austin grand jury has indicted Perry for abuse of official capacity and and coercion of a public servant. How is this likely to affect the Republicans later this year in the midterm election and two years from now in the general election?

God you Liberal fuckstains are reaching for anything, aren't you?

Fuckstains is right.....

another one goes down....

He shouldn't have withheld that funding from the Public Integrity Unit in Austin. That was wrong of him to do in order to go after District Attorney Lehmberg and of course once it was done it WILL bite you right back and quite harshly and just at the most inopportune time while he is still a sitting governor and a presidential aspirant. And that can't be good for him.

No... It won't bite anyone. Everyone in Texas knows who and more importantly, WHAT these 'people' are. And for those keeping score, "WHAT they are..." is a joke. They'll be laughed out of court, AGAIN!

This is no different than Scott Walker and Wisconsin...it's BULLSHIT.

 

[PoliticalTorch]

another one goes down....

He shouldn't have withheld that funding from the Public Integrity Unit in Austin. That was wrong of him to do in order to go after District Attorney Lehmberg and of course once it was done it WILL bite you right back and quite harshly and just at the most inopportune time while he is still a sitting governor and a presidential aspirant. And that can't be good for him.

No... It won't bite anyone. Everyone in Texas knows who and more importantly, WHAT these 'people' are. And for those keeping score, "WHAT they are..." is a joke. They'll be laughed out of court, AGAIN!

Well don't hold your breath on that one, bud.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

A grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption — making the possible 2016 presidential hopeful his state's first indicted governor in nearly a century.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

Several top aides to the Republican governor appeared before grand jurors in Austin, including his deputy chief of staff, legislative director and general counsel. Perry himself did not testify, though.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

rand jurors indicted Perry on abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.

Read more: Texas' Rick Perry charged with coercion for veto threat - Associated Press - POLITICO.com

he dun goofed

LOL! In the rare event that a paper outside of Austin carried this 'story', every Texan that read it, chuckled, shook their heads and moved on to the sports section.

The Left is irrelevant in Texas.​

 

[The T]

a grand jury indicted texas gov. Rick perry on friday for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption — making the possible 2016 presidential hopeful his state's first indicted governor in nearly a century.

Read more: texas' rick perry charged with coercion for veto threat - associated press - politico.com

rand jurors indicted perry on abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.

Read more: texas' rick perry charged with coercion for veto threat - associated press - politico.com

he dun goofed

lol! In the rare event that a paper outside of austin carried this 'story', every texan that read it, chuckled, shook their heads and moved on to the sports section.

the left is irrelevant in texas.​

yep.

 

[The T]

Getting indicted by a grand jury always enhances a politicians standing.

In Texas for sure.

Tell us what it did for Bill Clinton and Marion Barry.

Yep. BOTH are still on the loose.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

3rd thread merged.

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

He shouldn't have withheld that funding from the Public Integrity Unit in Austin. That was wrong of him to do in order to go after District Attorney Lehmberg and of course once it was done it WILL bite you right back and quite harshly and just at the most inopportune time while he is still a sitting governor and a presidential aspirant. And that can't be good for him.

No... It won't bite anyone. Everyone in Texas knows who and more importantly, WHAT these 'people' are. And for those keeping score, "WHAT they are..." is a joke. They'll be laughed out of court, AGAIN!

Well don't hold your breath on that one, bud.

I don't need to hold my breath, bud.

The Left indicts Texan Governors every other week.

The only people that take them seriously are children and fools.

THE LEFT IS IRRELEVANT IN TEXAS!​

 

[thereisnospoon]

Texas really is a shitty state.

Hey genius. First, nobody cares. Perry is out after this term.
More importantly, a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich for not having enough mustard.
An indictment is only the decision of a Grand Jury. It's just a phase.
An indictment in simple terms means the prosecution has convened a panel, presented evidence that if it convinces the panel, is compelling to the point where the Panel decides it is sufficient to warrant charges.
But anyway...
If you think this means anything other than what it is, you are just being gleeful.
Have fun. The rest of us have jobs....Get it?

 

[Manonthestreet]

How is threatening to veto something and then doing it a crime.....

 

[thereisnospoon]

Texas really is a shitty state.

Number one state in the US in job creation. No state income tax.
Very business friendly...And criminal unfriendly....Perfect.

 

[Lakhota]

Texas really is a shitty state.

Hey genius. First, nobody cares. Perry is out after this term.
More importantly, a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich for not having enough mustard.
An indictment is only the decision of a Grand Jury. It's just a phase.
An indictment in simple terms means the prosecution has convened a panel, presented evidence that if it convinces the panel, is compelling to the point where the Panel decides it is sufficient to warrant charges.
But anyway...
If you think this means anything other than what it is, you are just being gleeful.
Have fun. The rest of us have jobs....Get it?

He sure is - out of the White House.

 

[Political Junky]

LOL, Rick has fucked up, yet again. oops

 

[PoliticalTorch]

God you Liberal ****stains are reaching for anything, aren't you?

****stains is right.....

He shouldn't have withheld that funding from the Public Integrity Unit in Austin. That was wrong of him to do in order to go after District Attorney Lehmberg and of course once it was done it WILL bite you right back and quite harshly and just at the most inopportune time while he is still a sitting governor and a presidential aspirant. And that can't be good for him.

No... It won't bite anyone. Everyone in Texas knows who and more importantly, WHAT these 'people' are. And for those keeping score, "WHAT they are..." is a joke. They'll be laughed out of court, AGAIN!

This is no different than Scott Walker and Wisconsin...it's BULL****.

Speaking about Scott Walker, if he is so popular with the voters why is he neck in neck with his Democratic opponent at this point in the game? He should be doing much much better if he was the 'hero' of the Wisconsin crowd don't you think.

Gov. Scott Walker in dead heat with Mary Burke in new poll : Wsj

 

[House]

he dun goofed

And they backtraced it!

 

[PoliticalTorch]

The prosecutor was convicted of DWI and refused to resign.

How can a prosecutor represent the interests of the people when she herself is a criminal?

Austin is chocked full of moonbats and a misdemeanor indictment on this charge, given the facts, only ENHANCES Perry's standing.

Please, keep trumpeting this as loudly as possible.

Tell the grand jury that indicted him.

An indictment is not a conviction. And It's highly unusual that the indicted party , in this case Perry, never got the opportunity to present his case. Sounds like a purely political move .

Political? I think not. Especially when the Special Prosecutor in Perry's case was a Republican!

 

[Manonthestreet]

Remember when they said Walker was toast .......same thing......

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

****stains is right.....

No... It won't bite anyone. Everyone in Texas knows who and more importantly, WHAT these 'people' are. And for those keeping score, "WHAT they are..." is a joke. They'll be laughed out of court, AGAIN!

This is no different than Scott Walker and Wisconsin...it's BULL****.

Speaking about Scott Walker, if he is so popular with the voters why is he neck in neck with his Democratic opponent at this point in the game? He should be doing much much better if he was the 'hero' of the Wisconsin crowd don't you think.

Gov. Scott Walker in dead heat with Mary Burke in new poll : Wsj

Yeah... LOL!

Remember this: "It now seems certain that Governor Walker will be recalled through the ground swell movement, due to the public's outraged at his attack on the means of public sector labor to organize... ." WSJ ?