Politics

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Indicted for Abuse of Power

Perry was brought up on ethics charges after using his veto power to defund a state "integrity unit."

By Dashiell Bennett
This article is from the archive of our partner .

A state grand jury has issued an indictment against Texas Governor Rick Perry, charging him with abuse of his office and coercion of a public official. The indictment handed down on Friday afternoon carries two felony charges.

The story began last year when a member of the state's public integrity unit pled guilty to a drunk driving charge. According to the Texas Tribune, Perry threatened to withhold millions in state funding from the unit, if the member, a Democrat, did not resign. She refused to step down, and Perry made good on his threat, using his line-item veto power to strike $7.5 million in funding for the unit from the state budget.

A liberal watchdog group filed the complaint against Perry, arguing that the veto was political retribution, which makes it a crime under Texas law.

The Travis County grand jury charged Perry with abuse of official capacity, which is a first-degree felony that carries a maximum punishment up to 99 years, according to the AP. The second charge, coercion of a public official, carries a sentence of 2 to 10 years.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.