Perry aides enter grand jury room amid veto probe
AUSTIN (AP) — Several top aides to Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday went into a grand jury room Friday as a panel investigates whether the governor abused the powers of his office with a 2013 veto.
Mike Morrissey, Perry’s deputy chief of staff; Ken Armbrister, legislative director; Rich Parsons, a Perry spokesman; and Mary Anne Wiley, the governor’s general counsel, declined comment Friday as they entered the grand jury room. None would say if they were subpoenaed or came voluntarily.
It’s the first time Perry’s staff has been seen entering the grand jury room at the Travis County courthouse in relation to the investigation. The panel is looking into whether Perry broke the law when he vowed to veto funding for the office of the Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s anti-corruption unit if the Democrat didn’t resign after a drunken driving arrest.
Lehmberg refused to resign and Perry vetoed $7.5 million. A political watchdog group then filed a complaint alleging that Perry tried to coerce Lehmberg to leave office.
More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-05-16/perry-aides-enter-grand-jury-room-amid-veto-probe#.U3ZxKCgbHJU .
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