Texas Chainsaw Prosecution: The Joke of the Rick Perry Indictment
Texas Chainsaw Prosecution - Criminalizing politics hits a new low with the Rick Perry indictment
Excerpt:
Usually when prosecutors want to use the criminal statutes to cripple a political opponent, they come up with at least some claims of personal or political venality. In this case the D.A.'s office is trying to criminalize the normal process of constitutional government. The background facts don't make the case any more compelling. In 2013 police found Travis D.A. Lehmberg drunk in her car with a blood alcohol level of 0.23, or nearly three times the legal limit. A video made at the time shows her ranting against and abusing the police attempting to book her. The Democrat eventually did jail time. Mr. Perry saw a political opening and said he would veto $7.5 million in funds for Ms. Lehmberg's Public Integrity Unit unless she resigned. He argued, plausibly enough, that a prosecutor who breaks the law and abuses law enforcement shouldn't judge the "public integrity" of others in government. Ms. Lehmberg refused to step down, and Mr. Perry used his line-item veto to strike the appropriation.Comment: There's no doubt Perry will ultimately prevail in court ... and it may propel his Presidential ambitions!
Perry Strikes Defiant Tone After His Indictment
ReplyDeleteGov. Rick Perry said Sunday he did nothing wrong in trying to oust a Democratic district attorney, an action that led to the Republican governor's indictment Friday for abuse of power.
"I stood up for the rule of law in the state of Texas," Mr. Perry told Fox News on Sunday, saying he was within his rights under the state constitution to veto funding for a state prosecutorial unit. The governor, who isn't seeking re-election and will leave office in January, reiterated he wouldn't change anything if he had it to do over again.
A grand jury indicted Mr. Perry for improperly threatening to veto $7.5 million in funding for the Travis County Public Integrity Unit, which handles political-corruption investigations in Texas, if county District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg didn't resign following an embarrassing drunken-driving arrest last year. Ms. Lehmberg declined to leave office, and Mr. Perry carried out the veto.
More fun stuff: As Lehmberg heads to jail, new details about booking emerge
ReplyDeleteIndictment of Perry May Actually Increase His Stature