Rick Perry may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but this indictment reeks of partisan abuse. Like it or not, a governor has veto rights, and using it to pressure the resignation of a District Attorney who was convicted of drunk driving while in office doesn't sound like an indictable offense to me. It also seems totally appropriate not to hand money to something called an "integrity unit" that is under the authority of a convicted criminal:
Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted on Friday by a grand jury in Texas on two counts of abuse of power and coercion over a funding veto he made last year that was seen as being intended to force a local prosecutor to resign.
Perry, seen as a possible Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential race, was charged with abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony, and coercion of a public official, a misdemeanor, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
A probe was launched last year when Perry tried to veto $7.5 million in funding for an integrity unit that is part of the Travis County District Attorney's office. The move was seen as trying to force out county District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg after she pleaded guilty to drunken driving.
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