109 years in prison. That’s what Gov. Rick Perry could be facing after his indictment on two felony counts for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant late Friday by a Travis County grand jury. The grand jury’s indictment against Perry was in connection with the investigation into an effort to force Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg to resign. It all began when Perry vetoed the $7.5 million biennial funding for the Travis County Public Integrity Unit last year. He threatened to withhold the money unless District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg resigned.
Abuse of official capacity is a first-degree felony with punishment ranging from five to 99 years in prison, and coercion of a public servant is a third-degree felony with a penalty of two to 10 years. The charges could cripple any chance of a second presidential campaign. Perry becomes only the second sitting governor ever indicted after James “Pa” Ferguson in 1917, and the first in almost a century.
The allegations of criminal wrongdoing were first filed by Craig McDonald, director of the nonprofit campaign reform group Texans for Public Justice. McDonald has maintained that using veto threats to try to make another elected official resign was gross abuse of office. “The grand jury decided that Perry’s bullying crossed the line into law breaking,” he said. “We think any governor under felony indictment ought to consider stepping aside.”
Perry will have to present himself before a judge, undergo book-in procedures, including fingerprinting and a mug shot.
Gov. Rick Perry made the following statement regarding the decision by the Travis County Grand Jury:
“As governor, I took an oath to faithfully uphold the constitution of Texas, a pledge that I have kept every day as I’ve worked on behalf of Texans for the last 14 years. This same constitution clearly outlines the authority of any governor to veto items at his or her discretion. Just as I have following every legislative session during my service as governor, I exercised this authority to veto funding for an office whose leadership had lost the public’s confidence by acting inappropriately and unethically.
“I wholeheartedly and unequivocally stand behind my veto, and will continue to defend this lawful action of my executive authority as governor. We don’t settle political differences with indictments in this country. It is outrageous that some would use partisan political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state’s constitution.
“This indictment amounts to nothing more than an abuse of power and I cannot, and will not, allow that to happen. I intend to fight against those who would erode our state’s constitution and laws purely for political purposes, and I intend to win. I will explore every legal avenue to expedite this matter and bring it to a swift conclusion. I am confident we will ultimately prevail, that this farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is, and that those responsible will be held to account.”
