“Oops.” Long Story, Charming News
There’s a backstory that you folks from foreign states don’t know. It goes like this.
The Travis County District Attorney is in charge of prosecuting public integrity in the state of Texas. If a public official anywhere in the state commits a crime, the Travis County DA can prosecute it. An example of this would be Tom DeLay.
Since it should not fall solely on the tax burden of the good people of Travis County, funding the public integrity unit is funded by the state of Texas.
The current Travis County DA, Rosemary Lehmberg, caught herself a DWI early last year. She admitted guilt and spent 45 days in jail, paid a fine and had her law license suspended for 90 days – a punishment much tougher than any other first time DWI offender. Lehmberg is a Democrat. If she were to resign, Governor Rick Perry would appoint her successor. The last damn thing this state needs is a Republican government and a Republican making them behave. Cahooting would become our official state pastime.
Lehmberg refused to resign. The Republicans tried to make her by suing in civil court to have her removed. They lost.
Now is when it gets really good.
Governor Rick Perry threatened her. Last summer, Rick announced that either Lehmberg step down or he would veto funds to keep the public integrity unity open. I’m gonna remind you that this was on the heels of accusations that the Lt. Governor of Texas, a Republican, falsified a time stamp during the Wendy Davis filibuster.
Since Perry got beat in court under the rule of law, he took the fight to the street by the rule of bully.
She stood firm. And, as threatened, Rick Perry vetoed $2.7 million to keep the public integrity unit open.
Hell yeah, that’s coercion.
The Travis County DA’s office recused themselves from getting involved in this so the neighboring Williamson County DA’s office (which is run by a Republican) appointed a special prosecutor to see if Rick Perry violated the law. The special prosecutor, a man named Michael McCrum, has worked for both Democrats and Republican.
Okay, seven months later, brings us to today.
Stopping short of saying he thinks a crime was committed, a special prosecutor said he is troubled by the actions of Gov. Rick Perry in carrying out a threat last year to withhold state funding from Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s office unless she resigned after a DWI charge.
“I cannot elaborate on what exactly is concerning me, but I can tell you I am very concerned about certain aspects of what happened here,” San Antonio attorney Michael Mc-Crum said in an interview this week with the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV. Asked if his concerns pointed specifically at Perry or his staff, McCrum said, “Yes.”
Oh, yeah.
They will convene a grand jury the middle of this month.
Anybody want to go to the trial with me?
What’s next for Rick? Dancing With the Felons?
What’s next for Rickie? Dancing with the Felons would be too good for him. Mebbe a new TV show like Celebrity Enemas, or, Mama, am I being too kind?
1go to the trial
2yes ma’am!!!!!
please keep us updated on dates / times
will need to *Cough* take a medical day *Cough*
Can you say “extortion”? I expect that John Roberts will claim that as Rick was withholding money, he was engaged in protected speech.
The right to say “give me your money” apparently depends upon whether you’re running for office, or running a protection racket.
3I LOVE that picture of Perry with his mouth looking like he left his dentures in the glass on the bedside table. I’m so glad I don’t have a chance of running into him anywhere. Sophia, I’m real concerned about your cough. I bet it’s allergies and you oughta get a doctor appointment. Not sure if that’s ethical but maybe your job lets folks just take a mental health day.
4So now the shoe is on the other foot, Mr. PRick. Hope it’s a nice tight fit.
5It sure would be nice for Perry to wind up behind bars.. he could really get to enjoy the prison rape culture he seems so fond of….
6Will this conflict with his campaign schedule?
Awww, what a shame.
7Woo! Hoo! Keep us posted on THIS one!
8A bit off topic:
Fun with words: In describing RP would the correct term be ‘pantload’ or ‘pantsload’. Inquiring minds etc.
9Excellent post from Rolling Stone Magazine about Rick Perry, by Matt Taibbi!
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/rick-perry-the-best-little-whore-in-texas-20111026?print=true
10git rosemary! that was the third item that rick couldn’t remember during the republicaln debate!
11Perry should go horseback riding with Putin. They’d be able to bond and also share ideas on how to govern.
12Fred, referring to paragraph 6 of your Rolling Stone article link. Would the cheerleader in Perry’s case be a girl or a boy?
13Ooh! Ooh! Count me in! I’ll turn down all babysitting assignments and give up sleeping in late to go to that trial.
14Can I be on the grand jury? Please?
15Fantastic article, Fred.
16Love this quote: “Perry is human price tag..”
That nuclear landfill is horrifying.
Oh, hell yes I’ll go with you….wearing a Wendy button too.
17Unfortunately, the conduct of the Travis County DA during her arrest and incarceration was deplorable, and that is all many people remember about that sad business. I don’t exactly have my finger on the pulse of the public, but a lot of the talk I hear about this special prosecutor is more focused on what the special prosecutor thinks about Lehmberg’s conduct, not Perry’s abuse of authority. I’m hopeful, but not sure this rises to the level of being in bed with a dead girl or naked boy. As you point out with your reference to Dewhurst and his bullying tactics and abuse of authority, this latest incident may be seen as nothing
18more than good ol’ boy sleazy fun.
I thought Grand Jury testimony was not a public event…. closed testimony. Once upon a time, about a zillion years ago, I had to testify against a former boss. No one in the room but the judge, jury, the prosecutor, and the attorney for my boss. All of us poor dolts who had to testify were kept out in an outer room with our respective attorneys from the courtroom until we were individually brought in for our testimony. It was pretty creepy.
19/sigh… Texas politics are better than the movies, and cheaper for anyone living outside the state. I feel sorry for y’all. I spent a few years in Austin for grad school. Great town. Love Texas, but not Texas Republican politics, and that was rampantly ascendant when I lived there. Made me bleeping ill, and I could not wait to get out of there and back up north of the Potomac.
Now to be serious. Lehmberg made a fool’s mistake — she got behind the wheel of a car after have a few too many. Should she have called a cab? Hell yeah. Does this really call into question her ethics and integrity? Maybe. I hadn’t been following this one, since I have a life and local politics in my neck of the woods are damned crazy too. So I really can’t comment on that.
But I can, and I will, comment on Gov. Goodhair. I trust Slick Rick to twist every single mistake, false step, and minor peccadillo by everybody with a “D” after their name into the biggest crime since the Crucifixion. And then he’ll play as dirty as he possibly can, all the while claiming his manure is really Jean Patou’s Joy, to seize every single electoral advantage possible. He’s a disgrace to the state, and I really hope you good folks can evict that slime bucket from the Governor’s mansion come Election Day.
In the meantime, make yourselves some popcorn, and I’ll see about shipping y’all a big huge cloud of maple tree pollen. Stuff is worse than cedar fever. You’ll be legitimately sick and can stay home to follow the show.
20Thanks, Elen, but just as the bluebonnets shrivel up from lack of rain, the scraggly oaks are starting to flower, so we’ll have plenty to choke and sneeze and weep over.
21Well, I’ll raise you our County Prosecutor , Tea Party type GOP, who caught himself beating his kid with a belt till the kid was black and blue. We await developments. Special prosecutor appointed. No threat from Gov.
22