By Nigel Boys

According to Michael McCrum, Grand jurors in Travis County, Texas have indicted the Governor Rick Perry for allegedly abusing his official capacity by coercing a public servant into resignation with the threat of removing funding for the state’s public integrity unit.

McCrum went on to say that Perry had publicly promised to veto $7.5 million of the state funds allotted to the office of Rosemary Lehmberg, district attorney in Travis County, if she didn’t resign after being arrested for drunk driving last year.

The special prosecutor assigned to the case continued that this is the first Texas governor in nearly 100 years to face criminal charges and would almost destroy Perry’s future chances winning, should he decide to campaign in the next Presidential election.

Perry has been charged with abuse of official capacity, which carries a prison sentence of 5 to 99 years, and coercion of a public servant, for which he could be sent to prison for 2 to 10 years if convicted.

However, some believe that Perry’s motive is not a personal vendetta against Lehmberg. Instead, they believe that it may be because she oversees a powerful public corruption unit which investigates federal, local and state officials. The unit was responsible for the indictment of former Republican Congressman, Tom De Lay, on charges of violation of laws concerning campaign funds in 2005.

Although Perry did not appear in court, he was represented by his lawyer, David L. Botsford, who told the court that there was no legal basis for their decision and it represented a clear political abuse of the court system. He added that the governor acted well within his authority as governor of the state and his veto was lawful, as the facts of the case would eventually prove.

After Perry public threatened to veto funding for Lehmberg’s office if she did not resign, he carried out that threat when she refused to do so. He stated at the time that since Lehmberg had lost the public’s confidence, after being arrested for drunk-driving, he could no longer support state funding of her office which has so much power.

The 64-year-old governor, who is nearing the end of his 14 years in office, will now have to appear to be booked in as anyone else who is charged with a felony and this will include mug shot and fingerprinting, according to McCrum.

SOURCE

James