No PB, I don't. It is important that elected officials not use their constitutional or statutory authority to achieve a political end. It is also important for elected officials to be challenged when they do. As I explained above, Governor Perry has a personal and political interest in the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and its use of its funding.
Exactly. Many react to the indictment without knowing the statutory basis for the charges. While Texas governors may exercise the line item veto, the legislature has made clear that abuse of power and coercion in the performance of duties by the executive constitutes a crime. The charge, as I understand it, was brought by a Republican official and a grand jury returned the indictment. Perry may be acquitted if a jury believes that his veto over the funding of the Public Funding Unit was in no way influenced by personal or political animus. But nonetheless, a prima facie case exists and it is a question for a jury in light of the facts.
In any even this episode shows Perry's lack of judgment. A wise executive would make use of his general counsel, who would have provided Perry with a more prudent way of handling this. By threatening the DA, who had the DUI, to resign prior to defunding her unit, he carelessly put himself in a position where criminal charges would certainly be considered. As if we needed an additional reason not to vote for him in a presidential primary, this is one more.
