Free Republic

Tuesday night the Houston Chronicle published a story about the grand jury that indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Those grand jurors who spoke with the Chronicle broke the law to do so, and they knew that they were breaking the law. They claimed that they were speaking to the newspaper to counter Gov. Perry’s “spin” on the case. That’s not the job of a grand jury, by the way. One of them is a woman named Rho Chalmers. Chalmers tried to get around her lawbreaking by attempting to build this wall of implausible deniability. Rho Chalmers, who name matches that...

We’re going to have to be the skunk at the party, the rain on the parade – again. Our mission necessitates – absolutely requires – that we raise issues certain politicians and some of their supporters don’t want raised. This will no doubt make some people angry, but we invite then to review the facts, which are a matter of public record. This is a time for clear-headed thinking – not lemming-like “over the cliff” emotion and reaction. While many have rushed to defend Governor Rick Perry on the surface matter of the indictment alone, we are compelled to talk...

With the news of Governor Perry’s indictment going viral, the Public Integrity Unit (PIU) of the Travis County District Attorney’s office is once again shaking up Texas politics, though more indirectly than it has in the past. The agency has been the bane of politicians for 30 years, and routinely comes under fire from Republicans for its supposed partisanship. How did this branch of municipal law enforcement in a deep sea-blue Democratic county come to carry such influence in a ruby-red state? Is it time, as many conservative say, to rein in the rogue outfit and place its duties somewhere...

For those of you who’ve been sleeping since it happened Friday, Travis County grand jurors indicted Perry on charges of abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant. The first count carries a possible prison term of five to 99 years. The second, two to 10. I’m no expert on law or math, but I believe those potential sentences each exceed one year. And there’s more. As an indictee, Perry’s state-issued Concealed Handgun License, assuming he still has one — his office didn’t know as of Tuesday afternoon — will be suspended until the case against him is...

Should the grand jury have been transparent or secretive --- concerning the evidence presented by the district attorney, etcetera? Once again, we have a Travis County grand jury indicting yet another high-profile Republican. One was Tom Delay (then House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005) and now presidential aspirant Rick Perry, governor of Texas. The evidence that is presented is under the discretion of the district/prosecuting attorney. This attorney has strong control over the process and the room itself, and there is no one present to provide counter argument(s), and, finally, there is no judge present. If you are a...

“We will continue to aggressively defend the governor’s lawful and constitutional action…”

Rick Perry booking photo:

Live stream after turning himself in.

I wrote this parody, sung to the tune of MTA by the Kingston Trio. Sing it yourself and enjoy, or better yet get some guitar pickers and singers and have a jam session. Rosemary Lehmberg song Let me tell you the story of Rosemary Lehmberg The Travis County DA Pulled over by the cops for driving drunk And they hauled that woman away Did she ever resign No she never resigned Though she got a DWI (She had vodka in her car) She will drive forever through the streets of Austin She's the drunk who wouldn't resign Well all night...

Seems like global-socialist Mac daddy George Soros has his evil paw in the sketchy Rick Perry indictment right from the start- the more you dig into these stories these days, the more poop you find. I used to hate conspiracy theory, but these days you can't be suspicious enough. And as you know, this 'Godfather of the Left' has got his tentacles in most every socio-political issue being debated in the United States today- it's unreal.  Now the Texans for Public Justice -one of the groups behind Rick Perry’s indictment charges- is part of a “progressive” coalition that has received $500,000 from hyper-liberal, hyper-rich...

Less than a week after Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was indicted by a grand jury on two felony counts, he may be in an even stronger political position than he was before the charges hit. Several prominent Republicans have spoken out on Perry's behalf. Conservative activists in Iowa and New Hampshire aren't shying away. Even a well-known Democratic strategist has suggested the case against him may be flimsy. For a politician who is openly weighing another run for president, it's a welcome turn of events: While politicians embroiled in legal fights of this magnitude typically find few public allies,...

Drunk, Belligerent, Threatening Officers And Kicking The Door To Her Cell: The ugly video of Texas district attorney's DWI arrest that's behind Governor Rick Perry's indictment (Pics in URL) Rosemary Lehmberg, Austin's top prosecutor, was arrested for drunk driving in April 2013 and later pleaded guilty Video from her arrest and booking shows her being abusive toward officers and repeatedly demanding they call the sheriff Perry demanded Lehmberg step down after the arrest and said he would veto funding for her office, but Lehmberg refused Lehmberg ran a public corruption unit that pursued charges against Republicans Perry is charged with...

A Texas judge opted Monday not to issue an arrest warrant against Gov. Rick Perry, but the Republican still faces the unflattering prospect of being booked, fingerprinted and having his mug shot taken — and has assembled a team of high-powered attorneys to fight the two felony counts of abuse of power against him. "This is nothing more than banana republic politics," Tony Buzbee a Houston-based defense attorney who will head a cadre of four lawyers from Texas and Washington defending Perry, said at a news conference. A grand jury in Austin, a liberal bastion in otherwise largely conservative Texas,...

Audio at link

The indictment of Texas Gov. Rick Perry on two felony counts of abusing his power "potentially was the stupidest thing I´ve seen, I think, in my entire career," MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin told MSNBC´s "Morning Joe" on Monday. "I hope some judge throws it out right away. "It´s not just kind of funny and ridiculous. But it´s an infringement on individual liberty. He´s got a first amendment right -- just because he´s the governor of Texas. And I think, like I said, it´s easy to joke about this, but this is a serious thing. It is ridiculous that he...

Remember Barack Obama telling his followers to always "bring a gun to a knife fight"? Like good subjects do, his supporters in Texas obeyed. Friday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two counts of abuse of power.

AUSTIN, Texas -- In light of the malicious prosecution of Governor Rick Perry, Republican lawmakers are rushing to jump on the bandwagon opposing the Democrats politically motivated action. But several House Republicans loyal to liberal House Speaker, Joe Straus, bear responsibility for setting the stage leading to the indictments.

AUSTIN, Texas -- In light of the malicious prosecution of Governor Rick Perry, Republican lawmakers are rushing to jump on the bandwagon opposing the Democrats politically motivated action. But several House Republicans loyal to liberal House Speaker, Joe Straus, bear responsibility for setting the stage leading to the indictments.

This ridiculous politically motivated “indictment” of Governor Rick Perry stems from the ugly thug tactics of the "politics of personal destruction" that the left is known for. They draw blood and leave scars on conservatives who threaten their political power, hoping the threat retreats and hoping his or her base of support remains silent in fear of becoming collateral damage. Thankfully, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and those of us with scars to prove it can help others learn from things like this Texas-sized political drama.

John and Scott have commented on the indictment of Gov. Rick Perry. As they note, it fits a pattern of politically motivated indictments of prominent Texas Republicans. The Perry indictment also fits a pattern of harassment via the legal process of prominent Republican governors: Sarah Palin, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, and now Perry. What do these four have in common? Why, they all are (or were) potentially viable candidates for the national office. Invocation of the legal process against Christie may well be warranted. (So too with Bob McDonnell, whom I didn’t include in my list because, although once vaguely...