by Michelle Morin
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been indicted on 2 felony counts of criminal charges that he abused his power when he tried to pressure Travis County Texas District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg (a Democrat) to step down after being arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol in 2013. DA Lehmberg refused to step down, and is now ensuring that Governor Perry pays a high price for using his veto power and refusing to fund – and get this – the “public corruption unit” she oversees, to the tune of $7.5 million. From the New York Times:
Ms. Lehmberg is Austin’s top prosecutor and oversees a powerful public corruption unit that investigates state, local and federal officials; its work led to the 2005 indictment of a former Republican congressman, Tom DeLay, on charges of violating campaign finance laws.
Following Ms. Lehmberg’s arrest, Mr. Perry and his aides threatened to veto $7.5 million in state funding for the public corruption unit in her office unless she resigned. The governor followed through on his threat, vetoing the money by stating that he could not support “continued state funding for an office with statewide jurisdiction at a time when the person charged with ultimate responsibility of that unit has lost the public’s confidence.”
Talk about corruption and revenge in the highest order…. if found guilty, Governor Perry could face up to 99 years in prison:
The charge of abuse of official capacity carries a prison sentence of five to 99 years, and the charge of coercion of a public servant a two- to 10-year prison sentence.
Meet drunk District Attorney and Official Overseer of Public Integrity Ms. Lehmberg during her 2013 arrest, as she threatens deputies and carries on like any arrested tyrant would. Note that she was found with an open bottle of vodka in her car and ultimately pled guilty. Watch her here:
There’s more to this story than just a vengeful drunkard of a corrupt DA, however. Whether you like Perry or not, the Texas Governor is getting in the left’s way in regards to the deluge from President Obama’s call for illegal immigration going on at our Texas border, so he must be shut down as both an obstacle AND as a potential Presidential candidate in 2016. If he’s not shut down, he may forever boast that he was the governor who took action against Obama’s call to illegals – and THAT is way too big of a threat to the left in the next Presidential election. The left must incapacitate any narrative which casts the invasion of illegals for what it is – and Perry is the perfect target.
Based on what’s been presented so far, I echo Texas Senator Ted Cruz and say the basis for these charges against Governor Perry is “highly questionable” and appears to be an abhorrent abuse of judicial power. The left has no virtue and lives up to no rules, but its minions freely and without consequence continue to call evil good, and good evil. It won’t stop with Governor Perry if we don’t individually and collectively stand up for virtue and oppose this type of corruption in what’s supposed to be our representative government. If we do not, then we may only expect more of these corrupt shenanigans, and expect their shameless tactics to be successful against ANYone who gets in their way.
h/t The PJ Tatler
Here’s what I don’t get. If Perry stated that he was going to veto funding for the department unless this individual was fired, that would seem to be using his office/power in an abuse of capacity – it’s not the veto; it’s the THREAT (promise) of veto, if he couldn’t manipulate the office. How much independence would there be in this office, if the governor could simply threaten a veto to get his way?
As to the DA being arrested for DUI, she DID plead guilty. I would assume that she served (or is serving) whatever sentence was handed down in her case. People do make mistakes. She would not be the first politician or person with significant power (Democrat or Republican) to violate the law. It’s unreasonable for this article to stress the behavior of this single individual and somehow construe the behavior to an entire political persuasion.
Also, as I recall, the indictment was handed down by a grand jury. It was NOT a decision that was at the sole discretion of the individual maligned by this article. And, based on what I’ve read, the special prosecutor that brought this case to the grand jury has significant Republican ties at both the state and national level. Is it not just possible that Perry DID break the law, and that was the conclusion of the grand jury? At least she admitted what she did was wrong and accepted her punishment. It seems as though Perry is simply incredulous that his (not so) thinly veiled attempt to manipulate an independent office could be construed as an abuse of power. Maybe he (and others) need to get off their political high horses long enough to consider the facts and evaluate them without looking through their political prism.
If Perry wanted to exercise his constitutional power to veto a bill, he has every right to do so (and for whatever reason). But the THREAT of a veto to try to drive state personnel decisions would seem to be a clear violation of abuse of power. And one thing is not clear to me. If Perry did veto funding for this department, how does it continue to function?
I stand with Governor Perry!
The Democrats have never been challenged much. The ony tool they have this year left…is the one they use and it works…slander , throw mud and hope it sticks…I think the electorate is used to seeing and believing it BECAUSE it is never challenged…We all must stick up for the truth…How else with the voters see the choices?? and TRUTH.