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Rick Perry Calls Indictment 'Abuse Of Power,' Stands By His Actions

Rick Perry Calls Indictment 'Abuse Of Power,' Stands By His Actions
AP/The Huffington Post
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) spoke about his indictment on Saturday, calling it an "abuse of power."

"I wholeheartedly and unequivocally stand by my veto, and I'll continue to defend this lawful action of my executive authority as governor," Perry said at a press conference.

"We don't settle political differences with indictments in this country," Perry added, calling the indictment "outrageous."

Perry is accused of abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption. The AP reported earlier:

A special prosecutor spent months calling witnesses and presenting evidence that Perry broke the law when he promised publicly to nix $7.5 million over two years for the public integrity unit run by the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. Lehmberg, a Democrat, was convicted of drunken driving, but refused Perry's calls to resign.

Though the Republican governor now faces two felony indictments, politics dominates the case. Lehmberg is based in Austin, which is heavily Democratic, in contrast to most of the rest of fiercely conservative Texas. The grand jury was comprised of Austin-area residents.

Perry argued that "the details of my decision-making were very clear," and said he'd fight the charges.

"I said early on that I was going to clearly veto those dollars as long as they had someone in that office who I'd lost confidence in, and I did exactly what I said I would do," Perry said.

Perry then shifted to national issues, saying he would continue to help his state and the nation in his role as governor and blaming the federal government for the border crisis.

Below, more from the AP:

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he stands by his veto, and the indictment against him is an outrageous abuse of power

Perry held a news conference Saturday afternoon, a day after a grand jury indicted the Republican on two felony counts of abuse of power for making good on a veto threat.

The possible 2016 presidential hopeful is dismissing the charges as nakedly political. Perry is the first Texas governor since 1917 to be indicted.

The indictments are related to Perry vetoing funding for a Travis County unit investigating public corruption last year because the Democratic official heading the office to resign after being convicted of drunken driving.

The investigative unit is based in Austin, a heavily Democratic city where the grand jury was seated. The rest of Texas is heavily Republican.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to clarify a quote from Perry.

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Before You Go

Rick Perry's Gaffes
"Oops"(01 of10)
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At the CNBC debate on November 9, Perry famously forgot one of the government agencies he would eliminate if elected:
"It's three government agencies when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education and the um, what's the third one there. Let's see," Perry said. He turned to Texas Rep. Ron Paul, looking for some help, but got nothing but a remark from Paul that he would eliminate five agencies."Oh five," Perry said. "So Commerce, Education, and, uh, the uh, um, um.""EPA?" offered former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney."EPA, there ya go," Perry said as the room exploded in laughter.CNBC moderator John Harwood honed in and pressed Perry: "Seriously? Is EPA the one you were talking about?""No sir. No sir. We were talking about the, um, agencies of government," Perry said. "The EPA needs to be rebuilt.""But you can't name the third one?" Harwood persisted."The third agency of government," Perry said. "I would do away with the education, the um, Commerce, and let's see. I can't think of the third one. I can't. Sorry. Oops."
 (credit:AP)
Voting Age Flub(02 of10)
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During a campaign stop at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, Perry got both the voting age and the date of the 2012 presidential election wrong. "Those of you that will be 21 by November the 12th, I ask for your support and your vote," he said to the students. The legal voting age has been 18 since the 26th Amendment was adopted in 1971. The general election is scheduled for November 6, 2012. (credit:Getty Images)
New Hampshire... Caucus?(03 of10)
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During a November interview with Fox News, Perry mistakenly referred to the New Hampshire "caucuses." When asked about the emergence of front runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, Perry responded, "Americans haven't decided yet at all who they want to lead the Republican nomination, and we're going to be talking about that and we're going to be talking about it in harsh and strong terms over the course of the next four to five weeks as we get ready for those New Hampshire caucuses." New Hampshire holds primaries, not caucuses. (credit:Getty Images)
Minimum Age To Run For President(04 of10)
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While speaking to Catcher Jones, a seven-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina in December, Perry flubbed the minimum age to run for president. "I'm glad you're not 21," Perry told Jones, who was wearing a t-shirt that said "Future President: Accepting Campaign Donations Now." Perry realized his mistake and added, "Or actually 35." (credit:AP)
War With Iran(05 of10)
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After a woman in South Carolina asked Perry what he thought about current United States military operations, Perry mistakenly started talking about the wars in Afghanistan and Iran. When an audience member alerted Perry to his error, he joked that his comment "will be on the front page." (credit:AP)
Revolutionary War(06 of10)
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Following a debate in New Hampshire, Perry met with fraternity brothers at Dartmouth College. When someone asked him about the issue of states' rights, Perry said that one of the "reasons we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown." The Revolutionary War occurred in the 18th century. (credit:Getty Images)
Decade Mix-Up(07 of10)
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In an interview with CNN last year, Perry got stuck in a time warp. "Washington has abused the Constitution. You go back to the, a decade ago, with Woodrow Wilson..." Wilson was president from 1913 to 1921. (credit:Getty Images)
Bizarre Campaign Speech(08 of10)
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In October, an unusual performance at a speech in Manchester led many to question the candidate's sobriety. Perry later made a statement to dispel rumors that he was drinking or using painkillers during the speech. (credit:AP)
Bush Was Good At "Defending Us From Freedom"(09 of10)
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During an interview with the Today Show last November, Perry told host Meredith Viera that "Bush did an incredible job, in the presidency, defending us from freedom." (credit:AP)
"Montomayor" (10 of10)
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While speaking with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register, Perry struggled to remember Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's name:
"Do you really think he [President Barack Obama] is waging a war on religion?" asked an editorial board member, referring to Perry's recent ad pledging to "end Obama's war on religion" and "fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage" as president."I do because when you see his appointment of two -- from my perspective, inarguably -- activist judges, whether it was," he said, then trailing off for about six seconds trying to recall her name. "Montomayor," he said. Someone on the editorial board said Sotomayor's name. "Sotomayor and [Elena] Kagan, who are both activist judges," he continued.
 (credit:AP)
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