- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
- Messages
- 12,970
- Reaction score
- 5,701
- Location
- Huntsville, AL (USA)
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
Re: Gov. Rick Perry indicted for abuse of power for carrying out threat to veto prose
I've just finished watching Gov. Perry's statement concerning the coercion indictment against him. Conservative posters here seem to be falling back on process in their attempts to justify Gov. Perry's actions per the TX state constitution, i.e., it is within Gov. Perry's power to veto a spending bill. To that, they are correct. However, as I've stated in a recent post to this thread, unless Gov. Perry vetoed the spending bill that provided funding to the PIU purely on the grounds of constraining cost over-runs due to the state's budget deficit, he'd have to provide justification for his actions. And upholding the state's Constitution doesn't provide him cover.
If you listen to his defense, he clearly states starting at the .50 second mark of his video press conference why he vetoed the spending bill. Notice that the spending was targeted directly for the PIU which DA Lehmberg oversees and NO OTHER STATE OFFICE OR AGENCY. He picked the battle! He made it personal. Yes, he tries to wrap "public appearance" and "public trust" into the issue, but the fact of the matter is he can't use his office as Governor to pressure a duly elected official who is NOT under his cognizance to resign. The pressure clearly comes from withholding public funds for her department in an attempt to make the department ineffective.
He can hide behind the TX Constitution, but the law might be a different story.
I've just finished watching Gov. Perry's statement concerning the coercion indictment against him. Conservative posters here seem to be falling back on process in their attempts to justify Gov. Perry's actions per the TX state constitution, i.e., it is within Gov. Perry's power to veto a spending bill. To that, they are correct. However, as I've stated in a recent post to this thread, unless Gov. Perry vetoed the spending bill that provided funding to the PIU purely on the grounds of constraining cost over-runs due to the state's budget deficit, he'd have to provide justification for his actions. And upholding the state's Constitution doesn't provide him cover.
If you listen to his defense, he clearly states starting at the .50 second mark of his video press conference why he vetoed the spending bill. Notice that the spending was targeted directly for the PIU which DA Lehmberg oversees and NO OTHER STATE OFFICE OR AGENCY. He picked the battle! He made it personal. Yes, he tries to wrap "public appearance" and "public trust" into the issue, but the fact of the matter is he can't use his office as Governor to pressure a duly elected official who is NOT under his cognizance to resign. The pressure clearly comes from withholding public funds for her department in an attempt to make the department ineffective.
He can hide behind the TX Constitution, but the law might be a different story.