Officials: Perry vows veto of state funding unless DA Lehmberg resigns over DWI conviction

[TexasTowelie]

Last edited Tue Jun 11, 2013, 11:15 AM - Edit history (1)

Gov. Rick Perry is vowing to veto funding for the the state’s Austin-based ethics-enforcement unit unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg resigns, officials confirmed Monday.

Perry has until Sunday to veto bills passed by the Legislature during its regular session that ended in May, including the state budget that contains about $7.5 million to fund the Public Integrity Unit for the next two years.

The officials confirmed that Perry intends to exercise his line-item veto on the appropriation for the unit unless Lehmberg steps down in the wake of a drunken driving charge, something she has steadfastly refused to do so far. She pleaded guilty after her April 12 arrest in northern Travis County, served a 45-day jail sentence and entered a treatment program.

While Perry’s office would not discuss specifics, spokesman Rich Parsons said, “we’re going through the budget line by line. (The governor) has very deep concerns about the integrity of the Public Integrity Unit.”

More at http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/officials-perry-vows-veto-of-state-funding-unless-/nYHRm/?icmp=statesman_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_statesmanstubtomystatesman_launch .

ETA: The Austin American-Statesman has converted to a premium content model as of June 11.

[ashling]

1. Give me a friggin' break

has very deep concerns about the integrity of the Public Integrity Unit.”

[hobbit709]

2. Just a convenient excuse for that excuse of a human being.

He would have vetoed it anyway, now he can justify it by his "moral principles"

[Melissa G]

3. Perry is happy to veto funding for ethics investigation

Any excuse will do.

[sonias]

4. In truth he would like to kill it

Because ethics is not his thing. As in he has none to begin with.

[Melissa G]

5. True That.

Note the BS redistricting special session call to install the interim maps and the barely veiled threat to veto if there are any changes.

[TexasTowelie]

6. It looks likes Perry wants to kill the criminal CPRIT investigation.

http://progresstexas.org/blog/rick-perry-may-veto-public-integrity-unit-money-shut-down-criminal-cprit-investigation

[TexasTowelie]

7. Perry's threat to veto funding if Lehmberg doesn't resign may be a violation of the Texas Penal Code

Basically, Perry's threat to tie funding the PIU to the resignation of an elected official may qualify as bribery or coercion of a public servant. If Lehmberg wants to see the PIU survive, Perry is basically threatening her with her job.

This is yet another reason why anyone who believes in good government can't support letting Perry appoint the Travis County DA, because that person would then helm the PIU. And any suggestions that Democrats -- in the State Senate or otherwise -- might actually play a role in choosing or vetoing her replacement strike me as deeply idealistic given Perry's history.

Basically, Perry is using the threat of PIU funding to influence a public servant. The penal code is below. Is Rick Perry in violation of the law? Or is he simply trying to block criminal investigations into his own actions?

Either way, Rick Perry's clearly not the best person to decide who should be in charge of the Public integrity Unit.

The complete article, including citations from the Texas Penal Code, is at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13640/is-rick-perry-breaking-the-law-by-threatening-piu-funding-veto-unless-lehmberg-resigns .