Texas Governor Rick Perry indicted
The governor of Texas Rick Perry has been indicted on corruption charges.
The indictment was made accessible online by Mother Jones. Perry was indicted on two separate counts in the 390th District Court of Travis County, Texas. The two counts are for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant.
The indictment alleges that Perry targeted a Travis County District Attorney named Rosemary Lehmberg and the anti-corruption unit she headed, the Public Integrity Unit. The indictment said that such actions were a violation of the oath he took when he assumed the office of governor.
The New York Times says that Perry threatened and then carried out a veto of the Public Integrity Unit's $7.5 million dollar budget after the arrest of Lehmberg on charges of drunk driving. Perry vetoed the funds in an effort to force Lehmberg from her position after she refused to resign after her arrest.
The indictment was brought about when Texans for Public Justice filed a complaint that said the threat of a veto was an abuse of power because he tried to coerce Lehmberg into leaving the role of district attorney. They contended that while a governor has the right to veto a law, the threat to veto the budget was itself an abuse of power.
They also say that it was an abuse of power because Lehmberg is elected by voters, not appointed by the governor or Texas legislature.
The Times says that a number of Perry's aides have appeared in front of the grand jury to give sworn testimony in recent months.
Perry is the longest-serving governor in Texas history and made a name for himself as a presidential contender in the 2012 election. He also recently made headlines by publicly sparring with the president over his handling of the humanitarian crisis on the border with Mexico. Perry then famously called up the National Guard and deployed them to the border to arrest anyone crossing illegally.
