Texas Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two felony counts Friday for abuse of power over a threat to veto prosecutors’ funding. The Associated Press reports:
A grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday for 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.
A special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he promised publicly to nix $7.5 million over two years for the public integrity unit, which is run by Travis County District Rosemary Lehmberg’s office.
. @GovernorPerry charged with abuse of official capacity and coercion of public servant pic.twitter.com/lAR0hvb4dL
— Shannon Murray (@ShannonMFox4) August 15, 2014
More Rick Perry. The @AP says Perry is the first Texas governor to be indicted in nearly a century.
— Charlie Kaye (@CharlieKayeNews) August 15, 2014
Wow: Grand jury indicts Texas governor Rick Perry for veto of public integrity fund, @byjayroot reports. A crazy week gets crazier.
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) August 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/500415304120680449
Rick Perry has pissed off all the right people for a very long time. This is revenge and an attempt to ruin his presidential aspirations.
— Melissa Mackenzie (@MelissaTweets) August 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/500418151168081920
The Texas Observer attempts to track down where the whole lawsuit started.
Like many schemes, it started with vodka. Rosemary Lehmberg had been serving as Travis County DA for a little more than four years when, late on the night of April 12, 2013, she was pulled over near Lake Travis, west of Austin. Police found an open vodka bottle in the car and arrested her. She verbally berated the arresting officers, and she didn’t stop the verbal abuse when she got to jail. Lehmberg was strapped into a restraining chair. Hours after her arrest, she blew a .239, almost three times the legal limit.
…
Why didn’t Lehmberg resign?
In a word, politics. Lehmberg is a Democrat, and if she stepped down, Rick Perry would be the one to appoint a replacement. Moreover, the Travis County DA — as the prosecutor in the state’s capital — has special responsibilities over a variety of statewide legal issues. Foremost among these powers is the DA’s control of the Public Integrity Unit, which investigates the ethical breaches of state politicians, among a number of other charges.
I see why they waited until Friday news dump time to announce DA Drunky McDrunkerson's bullshit indictment of Perry.
— SFK (@stephenkruiser) August 15, 2014
How dare Rick Perry veto funding for a drunk driving DA who refuses to resign after 2 weeks in jail! Arrest that man!
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) August 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/MzRebecca06/status/500424270581727233
the same media outraged by the Obama lawsuit just got moist over the Rick Perry "indictment."
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
anyone want to be the media covers the fake Rick Perry indictment 10x as much as the real Andrew Cuomo political corruption scandal?
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
Let's indict this TX prosecutor for using his office for political retribution. (Can I say that w/o being indicted?) pic.twitter.com/Oe2UdTwjR8
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) August 15, 2014
#RickPerry In most places, drunk homeless people yell at you for not giving them money; in Austin they indict you.http://t.co/kPkKVoss35
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) August 15, 2014
My *very* preliminary reaction to the Rick Perry news: I don't understand what law he broke. http://t.co/gWE28flLqg
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) August 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/instapundit/status/500422902257565696
If the Perry deal doesn’t illustrate how Democrats today have no problem abusing the system & criminalizing non-criminal behavior what does?
— David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) August 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/500421898589990913
Media: IRS targeting conservatives is not abuse of power. A governor cutting funding for a drunk-off-her-ass DA is.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 15, 2014
This is the Travis County District Attorney? Hahahaha! http://t.co/2SDGxK2FLG
— Jimmy (@JimmyPrinceton) August 15, 2014
Perry indicted for being intolerant of Drunk Driving Democrat DA. Oh Democrats, you're so screwed.
— Harold Stickeehans (@StickeeNotes) August 15, 2014
count (hic) one: Rich Perry, you are sshuch an asshhole.
count (hic) two: Resh Perry, you are not a good friend.
count (hic) three: (hic)— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
count three: party of the firsssht part allegeshes party of the second part…
heee…
"party"…
party of the party
paaaarty
parTAY
(hic)— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
count four: no sherious, lishten to me, lishten.
are you lishtening?
okay
wait
i forgot what i was going to say
give me a highball, Sugar— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
i think we should all take Drinky McHighball's indictment very very seriously indeed.
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 15, 2014
I wonder if Rosemary Lehmberg is having a drink tonight.
— Blake News (@blakehounshell) August 15, 2014
Perry’s lawyers are confident.
Perry lawyer: “The veto in question was made in accordance with the veto authority afforded to every governor under the Texas Constitution."
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 15, 2014
Statement from Perry's lawyer: “We will continue to aggressively defend the gov's lawful & constitutional action, & believe we will prevail”
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) August 15, 2014
#Texas, the most powerful state in the nation. @GovernorPerry, in charge of it all. 2016 coming up fast.
Panic has set in for the left.
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) August 15, 2014
If it has any effect, this story is going to put Perry in the White House.
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) August 15, 2014
True story RT @JayCaruso: Perry is going to raise a crapload of money from this.
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) August 15, 2014
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