Answer me this: Am I right to think that Rick Perry’s trial may turn on whether or not it can be proven that he offered Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg a job if she would agree to resign? It seems like the allegation with the least gray area.
Just as a thought experiment, though, shouldn’t it be illegal to defund an agency that has the responsibility for investigating your office for official wrongdoing? I don’t mean reducing the budget. I mean eliminating it entirely, as Rick Perry did.
I think there’s an important distinction there, whether it turns out to be legally significant or not.
Actually, there may be even less gray area. One of the offenses with which he was charged is coercion of a public servant. Texas Penal Code section 36.03 makes it an offense to influence or attempt to influence a public servant in the exercise of their duties by means of coercion. I understand that this charge was based not on a job offer to Lehmberg, but on Perry’s public threat to veto the funding for the Public Integrity Unit if Lehmberg didn’t resign.
Doubt anyone considered that a line item veto could be used in this way — but sleazy and/or threatened politicians always look for loopholes to get their way. That’s the essence of corruption that we’re too complacent about.
Was struck by this:
He’s going to need some solid and real evidence to back that up if he uses it in his defense. And if he doesn’t use it or doesn’t have such evidence, the prosecution can make even more of it.
” shouldn’t it be illegal to defund an agency that has the responsibility for investigating your office for official wrongdoing?”
You make a funneee!
This is Texas, where “Conflict of Interest? I see no conflict of interest! OUr interests mesh perfectly!” is the state motto.
I think Perry may be among the worst or stupidest persons on the planet.
And I have little love for just about anything about Texas outside of Austin.
But…
How does a DA who is busted at three times the legal limit, tries to pull rank to get out of the beef, then does 45 days in jail, then refuses to resign… how does she think she can actually do her job investigating politicians who have betrayed the public’s trust?
Perry shouldn’t have pulled funding but if partisan politics weren’t so bad the chief Executive could have quietly offered to get her the treatment she probably needs and even a soft landing job somewhere else in the government.
Of course Perry would have to actually be interested in the public’s welfare, the effectiveness of this office, and in actually acting as an executive.