Texas Governor Rick Perry Indicted

On Friday, a grand jury indicted Texas Governor Rick Perry, a potential 2016 Republican Presidential candidate, on charges of abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant. The first charge relates to the governor threatening to veto a funding measure for state public corruption prosecutors, which some have said were an attempt to pressure District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg to resign. He called for her resignation after the District Attorney was arrested and pleaded guilty for a drunk driving charge in 2013.

Governor Perry defended his veto on Fox News on Sunday, saying, “I stood up for the rule of law in the state of Texas, and if I had to do it again, I would make exactly the same decision.” The Hill noted that a number of potential Presidential opponents have supported the governor’s actions.

Governor Perry is expected to appear at a New Hampshire Republican Party “Victory Rally” on Saturday, and on Monday NHGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horner released a statement about the indictment. She stated that the party would still be “pleased to welcome” the Governor at their rally, and stated, “The accusations made against Governor Rick Perry are so ridiculous that even President Obama’s top advisor David Axelrod called them ‘pretty sketchy.’” She was referring to a tweet made by the former advisor.

Former Representative Ron Paul of Texas has been known as a critic of Governor Perry, and the two even ran against each other during the 2012 Presidential primary. On MSNBC on Monday, the former Congressman defended the Governor, saying, “I don’t generally defend our governor very much…I don’t promote him. But this is pure politics, I’ll tell you. This is really a joke.”

The Hill: NH GOP Defends Perry on Indictment

The Hill: Ron Paul Calls Perry Charges ‘a Joke’

The Economist: The Indictment of Rick Perry – An Awesome Turn of Events

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