Vegas Free-for-All - Rick Perry indicted in Tx.

Rick Perry indicted in Tx.

forkushV

Aug 16, 2014
6:25am

Perry may be guilty, but in my opinion it's a bullshit law. Basically, he threatened to veto a funding bill unless an agency fired someone. Then he followed through on the veto.

Sounds like something a governor should be able to do.

jatki

Aug 16, 2014
9:21am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: malibber2
Boiler,
It doesn't matter what you or I think all that matters it what the Grand Jury that indicted him thinks. He is looking at 99 years in prison.

jatki99,
I read some articles on it last night and it is a really weird case. I don't think there is any doubt he did what he was accused of as they were public acts of his office. On the other hand it is hard to fathom what is basically an act of “political retaliation” being worthy of 99 years in the clink. I guess he could always pardon himself.

Yea, it seemed excessive to me. To tell ya the truth, I'm not exactly certain of what he did. I also read a couple articles last night when it broke and none of 'em seemed to say the same thing.{shrug} Gotta catch up tonight on my reading.

marcisdave

Aug 16, 2014
10:54am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: jatki99
I'm surprised nobody has said anythin g about it yet.

https://news.yahoo.com/texas-governor-perry-indicted-abuse-power-002647126.html

"AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted on Friday by a grand jury in Texas on two counts of abuse of power and coercion over a funding veto he made last year that was seen as being intended to force a local prosecutor to resign...
... A probe was launched last year after Perry vetoed $7.5 million in funding for an integrity unit that is part of the Travis County District Attorney's office. The move was seen as hardball politics to force out county District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, after she pleaded guilty to drunken driving.

The indictment said Perry, "with intent to harm another, to-wit, Rosemary Lehmberg and the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney's Office, intentionally or knowingly misused government property."

Jatki states: "I'm surprised nobody has said anything about it yet"

I started a thread about it earlier today......before yours. See the "Eyeglasses or Not" thread.

forkushV

Aug 16, 2014
11:24am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: jatki99

Quote
Originally posted by: malibber2
Boiler,
It doesn't matter what you or I think all that matters it what the Grand Jury that indicted him thinks. He is looking at 99 years in prison.

jatki99,
I read some articles on it last night and it is a really weird case. I don't think there is any doubt he did what he was accused of as they were public acts of his office. On the other hand it is hard to fathom what is basically an act of “political retaliation” being worthy of 99 years in the clink. I guess he could always pardon himself.

Yea, it seemed excessive to me. To tell ya the truth, I'm not exactly certain of what he did...

Perry "abused his power" by demanding that a government agency manager be fired or else he would veto their funding. Which he did.

It sounds like he's guilty of...bullying - maybe. But if Texas politicians got indicted for bullying, Lyndon Johnson would have been arrested every other day.

bbcjmat

Aug 16, 2014
12:37pm

Block User

Totally agree, The big O does more garbage than that and everyone turns their head, but let's go after Rick Perry O yea I forgot what party he belongs too. Soo sad

malibber2

Aug 16, 2014
2:00pm

Block User

I think where it gets sticky for him is the office he cut funding to is an office that was responsible for investigating misdeeds committed by his administration and other state officials. Also the lady in question he wanted to fire was an elected official and not an employee of the State of Texas. A Governor should never be able to fire an elected official that is up to the voters.

Quote

Originally posted by: forkushV
Perry may be guilty, but in my opinion it's a bullshit law. Basically, he threatened to veto a funding bill unless an agency fired someone. Then he followed through on the veto.

Sounds like something a governor should be able to do.

BobOrme

Aug 16, 2014
4:15pm

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: malibber2
I think where it gets sticky for him is the office he cut funding to is an office that was responsible for investigating misdeeds committed by his administration and other state officials. Also the lady in question he wanted to fire was an elected official and not an employee of the State of Texas. A Governor should never be able to fire an elected official that is up to the voters.

Quote
Originally posted by: forkushV
Perry may be guilty, but in my opinion it's a bullshit law. Basically, he threatened to veto a funding bill unless an agency fired someone. Then he followed through on the veto.

Sounds like something a governor should be able to do.

A governor has the authority to veto any bill sent to his desk to sign. So does the President. How many times has ObeyMe said he'd veto any bill that did or did not contain some provision that he wanted for any reason?

The Texas Public Integrity Unit is headed by Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. She was arrested for, and pleaded guilty to, drunk driving in 2013. While in office. A Drunk Driving conviction.

Governor Perry was exercising his legal authority. She should have resigned, and done so while apologizing for making a mockery of her position. That would have close to public integrity. That she didn't resign is a full on example of NO integrity.

Don

Aug 16, 2014
10:31pm

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: forkushV
Perry may be guilty, but in my opinion it's a bullshit law. Basically, he threatened to veto a funding bill unless an agency fired someone. Then he followed through on the veto.
Sounds like something a governor should be able to do.

DA Lehmberg Arrested for DUI

DA Lehmberg Convicted/Jailed

It would seem that forkushV is in good company with his legal opinion:

From TWITTER:
"Unless he was demonstrably trying to scrap the ethics unit for other than his stated reason, Perry indictment seems pretty sketchy."__ David Axelrod
"My *very* preliminary reaction to the Rick Perry news: I don't understand what law he broke."__ Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine
"The Perry indictment looks like a major overreach on paper -- "misuse" of gov services and coercing an official, both based on a *veto.*"__ Ari Melber, MSNBC
"Even ThinkProgress thinks the Perry indictment looks fishy. Texas Democrats: I think you just messed up big time."__ Timothy Noah, MSNBC
__ Think Progress

pjstroh

Aug 17, 2014
1:26am

Block User

Sometimes the most egregious things a politician or political body can do are 100% legal.

After a Fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX destroyed a town in 2013 there has been no legislative response to improve storage conditions, change zoning laws, or implement any new safety protocols of any kind when it comes to such plants in Texas.

In fact, the only response has come from Rick Perry's Attorney General who in the wake of a large political donation from the Koch Brothers has passed a new edict to keep the locations and contents of all Texas's fertilizer plants hidden from the general public.
Don't ask Rick Perry to disclose locations and contents of dangerous fertilizer plants like the one in West, Texas. The public's safety comes in a distant second to his successor's campaign funding

albeadle33

Aug 17, 2014
4:48am

Block User

PJ's wealth of inexperience and misinformation strikes again.

Deflect and divert from why a drunk driving & disorderly dem. DA in charge of the ETHICS dept. is still working. Gov. Perry did the only thing he could do, and everyone knows it was the right thing. Except loons like you of course.

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