Surprised? Court throws out final charge against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Doug P. | 11:04 AM on February 24, 2016

In August of 2014, then Texas Governor Rick Perry referred to his indictment as “partisan theatrics” and that the “farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is.” He was right:

#BREAKING: #TX Court clears former @GovernorPerry of 2nd felony, throwing out abuse-of-power case. (@FoxEbenBrown)

— FOX News Radio (@foxnewsradio) February 24, 2016

Texas court tosses 2nd felony charge against ex-Gov. Perry, clearing him of wrongdoing – AP

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 24, 2016

From the Associated Press:

Texas’ highest criminal court tossed the second and final felony charge against former Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday, likely ending a case the Republican says helped sink his short-lived 2016 presidential bid.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed the abuse-of-power charge, which was filed after Perry threatened — and then carried out — a veto of state funding for a group of public corruption prosecutors after the Democratic head of the unit refused to resign.

A lower appeals court dismissed the other charge, coercion by a public servant, in July.

Perry threatened to veto funding for the Public Accountability Office if Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who was convicted for DWI and appeared out of control in a police video, would not resign. Lehmberg didn’t resign, and Perry followed through with the funding veto.