GOP Moves To Strip Power From Unit Tied To Rick Perry Case
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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Legislature has approved a bill stripping public corruption cases from a unit tied to Rick Perry's 2014 indictment.
The House and Senate each previously approved separate bills removing cases of alleged wrongdoing by elected officials from the Public Integrity Unit, headed by the district attorney in Austin. On Saturday, both chambers approved a compromise, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott. Under the measure, investigations and prosecutions tied to Texas government would be conducted with a dual-step process; investigations would be done by a new Public Integrity Unit in the Texas Rangers; prosecutions would be handled by the district attorney in the accused's hometown.
The Texans for Public Justice on their Facebook page called this move "a politician's dream -- a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card for public officials."
Fmr. Gov. Perry vetoed Public Integrity Unit funding in 2013, after Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg wouldn't resign following a drunken driving conviction.
Perry was indicted on abuse-of-power charges; a special prosecutor, not the Public Integrity Unit, led the investigation.
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