Perry Gives Defiant Statement on Indictment

Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered a defiant statement today on the indictment handed down against him Friday afternoon.

Perry called the act an “outrageous” “abuse of power,” and detailed why he uses his veto power as governor to try to restore the public’s trust to the Public Integrity Unit.

That unit, based in the Travis County District Attorney’s office, is headed by DA Rosemary Lehmberg.

Lehmberg had been caught driving while intoxicated in April 2013, with a blood alcohol limit three times the legal limit.

Lehmberg had also been caught with an open bottle of vodka in her car, violating Texas’ open carry law.

Upon her arrest, Lehmberg threatened the arresting officers with political retaliation, a clear abuse of her power.

Lehmberg refused to resign.

Perry used his veto power as governor. Lehmberg appointed an Obama appointee to deliver an indictment against the governor, and he obliged. The complaint itself originated with the Soros-funded, far left Texans for Public Justice.

The indictment, Perry said, uses “partisan political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state’s constitution.”

Perry vowed to bring the case to a swift conclusion.

Lehmberg herself is currently facing a lawsuit for abuse of power. The lawsuit alleges that she unjustly fired an employee who refused to help her bury a case.

Update: Read Gov. Perry’s full statement on the next page.

AUSTIN –Gov. Rick Perry today made the following statement regarding the decision by the Travis County Grand Jury:

“As governor, I took an oath to faithfully uphold the constitution of Texas, a pledge that I have kept every day as I’ve worked on behalf of Texans for the last 14 years. This same constitution clearly outlines the authority of any governor to veto items at his or her discretion. Just as I have following every legislative session during my service as governor, I exercised this authority to veto funding for an office whose leadership had lost the public’s confidence by acting inappropriately and unethically. 

“I wholeheartedly and unequivocally stand behind my veto, and will continue to defend this lawful action of my executive authority as governor. We don’t settle political differences with indictments in this country. It is outrageous that some would use partisan political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state’s constitution.

“This indictment amounts to nothing more than an abuse of power and I cannot, and will not, allow that to happen. I intend to fight against those who would erode our state’s constitution and laws purely for political purposes, and I intend to win. I will explore every legal avenue to expedite this matter and bring it to a swift conclusion. I am confident we will ultimately prevail, that this farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is, and that those responsible will be held to account.”