Texas Governor Perry indicted over abuse-of-power allegations
Democrats call for potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate's resignation over allegations he abused his power with veto threat
Texas Governor Rick Perry, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, has been indicted by a grand jury over allegations he abused his power, prompting calls for him to resign.
A special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he promised publicly to nix US$7.5 million over two years for the public integrity unit, which is run by Travis County Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg's office. Lehmberg was convicted of drink driving, but refused Perry's calls to resign.
Perry's general counsel, Mary Anne Wiley, on Friday 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."
Several top aides to the Republican governor appeared before grand jurors in Austin, including his deputy chief of staff, legislative director and general counsel.
Perry did not testify, though. Grand jurors indicted Perry on abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.
The move immediately triggered calls by rival Democrats for Perry to quit.
"We call on Governor Perry to immediately step down from office," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said. "Texans deserve real leadership, and this is unbecoming of our governor."
No one disputes that Perry is allowed to veto measures approved by the legislature, including part or all of the state budget. But the left-leaning Texans for Public Justice government watchdog group filed an ethics complaint accusing the governor of coercion because he threatened to use his veto before actually doing so in an attempt to pressure Lehmberg to quit.
"I took into account the fact that we're talking about a governor of a state - and a governor of the state of Texas, which we all love," said Michael McCrum, the San Antonio-based special prosecutor. "Obviously that carries a lot of importance. But when it gets down to it, the law is the law."
In office since 2000 and already the longest-serving governor in Texas history, Perry is not seeking re-election in November. But the criminal investigation could mar his political prospects as he mulls another run at the White House, after his 2012 presidential bid flamed out.
McCrum said he would meet with Perry's attorney tomorrow to discuss when he would come to the courthouse to be charged. Asked why McCrum never spoke to Perry personally, McCrum said, "That's prosecutorial discretion that I had".
Lehmberg oversees the office's public integrity unit, which investigates statewide allegations of corruption and political wrongdoing. Perry said he wouldn't allow Texas to fund the unit while Lehmberg remained in charge. Perry said Lehmberg, who is based in Austin, should resign after she was arrested and pleaded guilty to drunken driving in April last year.
A video recording made at the jail showed Lehmberg shouting at staffers to call the sheriff and kicking the door of her cell. She faced pressure from other high-profile Republicans to give up her post. Her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit for driving.
Lehmberg served about half of her 45-day jail sentence, but stayed in office.
