Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted Friday by a grand jury on abuse of power charges stemming from his battle to defund a state-funded bureau of anti-corruption investigators.
The suit originated from a standoff between Perry and Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg after she was arrested for drunk driving in April 2013 and subsequently pleaded guilty.
Perry publicly demanded that Lehmberg, a Democrat, resign from office or he would block funding for the Public Integrity Unit, the state anti-corruption division run out of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. She refused and Perry, as promised, took action.
The Public Integrity Unit was a politically sensitive target because it was associated with high-profile investigations that had sometimes roped in high-ranking Republicans. It famously indicted then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas in 2005 on fundraising-related charges.
A group called Texans for Public Justice filed a complaint in June 2013, arguing that Perry’s threat to veto the funding was political retribution and constituted an illegal abuse of power and coercion of a public servant. A judge appointed a special prosecutor to look into the matter and the investigation eventually led to Friday’s charges.
In a statement released on Friday, Perry said he was “outraged and appalled” by the grand jury’s decision to indict.
“This clearly represents political abuse of the court system and there is no legal basis in this decision. The facts of this case conclude that the governor’s veto was lawful, appropriate and well within the authority of the office of the governor,” Perry said.
“We will continue to aggressively defend the governor’s lawful and constitutional action, and believe we will ultimately prevail,” Mary Anne Wiley, Perry’s general counsel, said in a separate statement.
The progressive group Battleground Texas applauded the jury’s indictment. “Rick Perry’s indictment for abuse of official capacity and coercion is just the latest example of Republicans failing to work for Texans. Whether it’s Rick Perry’s indictment, Greg Abbott’s sweetheart deals for campaign contributors, or Dan Patrick’s blistering anti-immigrant rhetoric – the GOP has shown time and again they put politics and their friends ahead of Texas communities,” they wrote in a statement.
Special prosecutor Michael McCrum told NBC News affiliate KXAN that Perry faces two counts of abuse of power.









