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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Texas Governor Rick Perry indicted for abuse of power


The governor of the US state of Texas, Rick Perry, has been charged by a grand jury with abusing his powers of office.

A special prosecutor said there was evidence the Republican had broken the law by using a funding veto in a bid to force a local prosecutor to resign.

The potential presidential hopeful was investigated for cutting funds to a state anti-corruption unit run by District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.

He becomes the state of Texas's first indicted governor in nearly a century.
Governor Perry, who has been in office since the year 2000, says he has violated no laws.

The 63-year-old faces two counts of abuse of power and coercion related to his decision to veto $7.5 million (£4.5 million) in funding for the Public Integrity Unit run by the office of the Travis County district attorney last year.

Governor Perry "with intent to harm another, to-wit, Rosemary Lehmberg and the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney's Office, intentionally or knowingly misused government property," the indictment read.

From Democrat to Republican

  • March 1950: Born in Paint Creek, Texas
  • 1972: Graduated from Texas A&M University
  • 1972-77: Spent five years in the US Air Force
  • 1982: Married childhood sweetheart Anita Thigpen
  • 1984: Entered political life when elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat
  • 1988: Chairman of the Al Gore campaign in Texas
  • 1989: Joined Republican Party
  • 1998: Lieutenant Governor
  • 2000: Governor when GW Bush president
  • 2013: Announces retirement from the governor's position
  • 2014: Indicted by grand jury on charges of abuse of power

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