Perry Under Investigation For Possible Abuse Of Office
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – A Texas judge says he plans to have a special prosecutor review allegations that Governor Rick Perry abused the powers of his office and broke the law over a veto that cut funding for state public corruption investigators.
Judge Robert Richardson told a newspaper in the state’s capitol that he expects to name a special prosecutor as early as next week to look at the complaint filed by a watchdog group, Texans for Public Justice.
Perry’s office on Thursday denied wrongdoing.
The complaint stems from the April drunken-driving arrest of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, whose office houses the Public Integrity Unit that is the state’s criminal ethics arm. Its high-profile cases include the 2010 prosecution of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and an ongoing investigation into the state’s $3 billion cancer research agency.
Lehmberg pleaded guilty after her arrest and served half of a 45-day jail sentence. But she refused calls from Republicans to resign, including from Perry, who publicly said he would eliminate $3.7 million in annual state funding if she did not step down.
Lehmberg stayed in office, and Perry vetoed the money in June.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/08/15/perry-under-investigation-for-possible-abuse-of-office/
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