Rick Perry Indicted for coercion

[FuzzyCat]

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.

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 run by the office of Travis County Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. Lehmberg was convicted of drunken driving, but refused Perry's calls to resign.

Perry's general counsel, Marry Anne Wiley, defended the governor's action.

"The veto in question was made in accordance with the veto authority afforded to every governor under the Texas Constitution," she said. "We will continue to aggressively defend the governor's lawful and constitutional action, and believe we will ultimately prevail."

Texas' Perry indicted for coercion for veto threat

 

[sameech]

I really don't see how this law is legal. Perry is a dolt, but threats to do or not do something are about the first and last words out of a politician's mouth on any given day.

 

[Mad Scientist]

From the article:

The unit Lehmberg oversees is the same that led the investigation against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican who in 2010 was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for taking part in a scheme to influence elections in his home state.

...which was then overturned.

Tom DeLay conviction overturned by Texas court - The Washington Post

 

[theDoctorisIn]

There is already a thread on this.