RICK PERRY INDICTED ON 2 FELONY COUNTS, including ABUSE OF POWER

I posted on this board a few weeks ago, a grand jury had been impaneled, and it was known he had hired a CRIMINAL ATTORNEY. Guess they made a decision and announced about a half hour ago. When you are sitting governor, do you 'get arrested' and have mug shots taken?? I have no idea...

Texas Gov. Perry Indicted on Charge of Abuse of Power

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was indicted on two felony counts on Friday by a state grand jury examining his handling of a local district attorney’s drunken driving arrest and the state financing for a public corruption unit under the lawyer’s control.

The indictment was returned late Friday in Austin.

The investigation centered on Mr. Perry’s veto power as governor. His critics asserted that he used that power as leverage to try to get an elected official and influential Democrat — Rosemary Lehmberg, the district attorney in Travis County — to step down after her arrest for drunken driving last year. Ms. Lehmberg is Austin’s top prosecutor and oversees a powerful public corruption unit that investigates state, local and federal officials; its work led to the 2005 indictment of a former Republican congressman, Tom DeLay on charges of violating campaign finance laws.

Following Ms. Lehmberg’s arrest, Mr. Perry and his aides threatened to veto $7.5 million in state dollars for the public corruption unit in her office unless she resigned. The governor followed through on his threat, vetoing the money by stating that he could not support “continued state funding for an office with statewide jurisdiction at a time when the person charged with ultimate responsibility of that unit has lost the public’s confidence.”

Mr. Perry’s detractors said that his moves crossed the line from hard-ball politics to criminal acts that violated state laws. His aides denied that he did anything wrong and said that he acted in accordance with the veto power granted to every governor under the Texas Constitution. Ms. Lehmberg resisted calls for her to resign and remains in office.

The criminal case against Mr. Perry began when a nonprofit government watchdog group, Texans for Public Justice, filed a complaint last June accusing the governor of misdemeanor and felony offenses over his veto threat, including coercion of a public servant. A judge appointed a special prosecutor – Michael McCrum, a San Antonio lawyer and a former federal prosecutor – and the grand jury began hearing the case in April.

A number of Mr. Perry’s aides have testified in recent weeks ...



http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/16/u...dicted-over-veto-of-funds-for-das-office.html

 

FROM BURNT ORANGE REPORT Including video...

BREAKING: Rick Perry Indicted on Two Counts: Abuse of Office; Bribery

by: Joseph Vogas
Fri Aug 15, 2014 at 06:02 PM CDT

On Friday evening, the special prosecutor and grand jury looking into whether Governor Rick Perry acted inappropriately when he withheld $7.5 million owed to the public integrity unit of the Travis County District Attorney's office completed their investigation. Perry stated he would veto the funding if Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg did not resign after being convicted of drunk driving. When she refused, Perry followed through with his veto which drew an ethics complaint.
The grand jury indicted Governor Rick Perry on two counts. Abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public official. These are first and third degree felonies respectively.

Governor Perry is expected to have a mug shot taken following these indictments.

The full indictment can be read here.

The Texas Democratic Party has called for Rick Perry's resignation. Their statement, video of the Special Prosecutor issuing the indictment, and more can be found after the jump.

Via The Austin America Statesman, here is video of Special Prosecutor Michael McCrum issuing the indictment:

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/15581/breaking-rick-perry-indicted-on-two-counts-of-bribery

 

It's never about morality.

it's always about money, power, and expediency.

 

Well looks like he wont be president.

 

Is this really a shocker?

Rick perry has, in my opinion, one endearing quality. He exudes a good looking, aw shucks sort of character.

Beyond that, he seems to have a history of using his office as if he is running some sort of grand fiefdom. The Texas Enterprise Fund, which seems to fill the pockets of his wealthy supporters, this incident where he simply could have let the voters decide it, and it seems to go on and on.

However, I have little doubt that his supporters will not question him for a minute, and instead claim some Democratic conspiracy.

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/

http://www.statesman.com/

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Don't forget he ellicits GOD--A LOT!!!

 

I feel vibrations in the earth... the conservatives... they are coming, and they shall bring all manner of deflection and topic derailment...

In all seriousness though, this guy just lost the very slim chance of being pres he still had.

 

I have no doubt that Rick Perry exaggerated the "Surge" to deflect from his legal issues.

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I'm sure most will deny any wrongdoing. There will be many "your guy did it too" comments, no doubt. Maybe some comments about how he's a martyr for a worthy cause. Some "libs" may be blamed for his corruption, too. The Right will bring Obama into the discussion... not sure how yet, but they'll manage.

Spin, deflect, rinse, repeat.

 

Just another Democrat witch hunt.

 

Meanwile we Texans are sitting here,rolling our eyas at the gnashing of teeth going on about just another day in Texas politics

 

Is it?

What part of the legal system was usurped here in favor of penalizing Perry on a partisan basis?

 

Didn't take long......

 

Sure because Presidents never threaten to veto something if they don't get their way.

 

One less obstacle for Rand Paul.

 

Well, that does not appear to be the whole story.

Allegedly he threatened to veto funds that would go to an organization that was investigating him. Now the reason for the veto is certainly open to discussion, but it was not just an ordinary veto.

 

Nothing like authorizing a whole bunch of PCs to spontaneously crash(basically impossible) in order to eliminate emails to cover up massive fraud and illicit activities=)

 

Abuse of Power is the slogan for Austin, Texas.

 

Hey thats "personal responsibility" in action.

 

BINGO! In the meantime, the Guard is still parked on the border at about $4.5mil a month for a PERRY STUNT as he was jetting his way to
IOWA to run for pres (4th time in 6 months).

It was a CRAVEN MANIPULATION by a man who has no chance and apparently, matching character.

 

They will be dismissed. Makes no difference though. The Democrats can now claim that he's been indicted and with them it's guilty until proven innocent if the accused is a Republican.

 

He wouldn't have been any way. He's a member of a hunting club that has a racist title.

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Yea, they love playing that card.

 

Who flip flops on a daily basis depending on how he needs the wind to blow.

 

This won't help his Presidential aspirations but an indictment can be meaningless in of itself since it just means that a grand jury decided it was worth following up on. Whether they build an actual case is another question. It's worth noting that the charges against Scott Walker couldn't even reach the indictment state which is one of the earliest steps in the process.

 

The Right might want to remember that the 'state' prosecutor also served under Bush. Apparently a pretty 'by the book' kinda
guy and was even up for 'FEDERAL PROSECUTOR' by Obama but HE withdrew his name from consideration.

 

On top of that there is the old saying, "a grand jury would 'indict a ham sandwich,' if that's what you wanted."[.