Because the governor has no supervisory power over the district attorney, his demand that she resign and his subsequent vetoing of the funding for the Public Integrity Unit was seen by the TPJ as an abuse of power. The four criminal statutes cited by the TPJ as possibly having been violated by Perry are all first level misdemeanors (up to one year in prison), but Perry may also have exposure under Texas’s Penal Code provision on Obstruction and Retaliation (PC Section 36.06) which is a third degree felony (two to ten years in prison). Even more significant than these criminal prosecutions, though, is the de-funding of the Public Integrity Unit. The purpose of the Public Integrity Unit is to investigate and prosecute political crimes that may have been committed by public office holders. In the past, for instance, it has prosecuted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican, and various Democrats including the late Jim Mattox, then Texas’s Attorney General. This function has historically been performed by the office of the District Attorney of Travis County because that county contains the state’s capital, Austin, and thus is often the proper venue for such prosecutions. Visit Liberal America to read more. Perry Scandal Heats Up As Judge Appoints A Special Prosecutor | LiberalAmerica.org
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 22:00:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015