Via empireonline.com
A senior district judge from San Antonio announced that he will name a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of “abuse of official capacity” and other charges against Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Texans for Public Justice filed a complaint against Perry with the Travis County District Attorney and the Travis County Attorney in June. Perry had threatened to withhold funding for the Public Integrity Unit (PIU), which investigates allegations of official misconduct, unless Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg resigned in the wake of her DWI conviction. (Perry may have had other reasons to want the PIU shut down.) Perry eventually vetoed funding for the PIU.
That veto took away about $3.7 million from the PIU. The Travis County Commissioners’ Court voted in early August to use $1.8 million of Travis County (not Texas) taxpayers’ money, plus over $700,000 “from another fund,” to keep the PIU going. This gave Lehmberg the opportunity to “scold” Perry.
Via empireonline.com
I have made my thoughts about the DA pretty clear, but, well, I’ll let TPJ Director Craig McDonald say it:
Governor Perry has no legal authority to remove the Travis Country District Attorney from her job. Threatening to take an official action against her office unless she voluntarily resigns is likely illegal.
The governor overstepped his authority by sticking his nose in Travis County’s business. A legal process is currently underway. That process alone should determine the fate of the District Attorney.
Governor Perry’s official threats attempt to obtain two things that he can’t achieve through legal democratic means. First, to remove an elected Democrat and replace her with an appointed Republican DA. Second, to wipe out the state’s public corruption watchdog, which is currently investigating corruption in at least one of the governor’s signature corporate subsidy programs.
TPJ News Release (PDF file), June 14, 2013.
The complaint (PDF file) filed by TPJ alleges violations of Texas Penal Code § 36.03, Coercion of a Public Servant or Voter; § 36.03, Bribery; § 39.02, Abuse of Official Capacity; and § 39.03, Official Oppression.
As usual, it’s difficult not to be sickened by most things Rick Perry does. His not running for reelection in 2014 is a start, but don’t kid yourself that he’s going away. The key thing is for Texas to stop electing people like him.
