Perry Gauged Replacements Before Veto of Funding
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An Austin Democrat says Texas Gov. Rick Perry called her last year to see if she would consider replacing the Travis County district attorney after a drunken-driving arrest.
Perry's contact with attorney Mindy Montford came as he vetoed state funding for a prosecutors' unit investigating public corruption that falls under Travis County. He threatened to veto funding if District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg refused to resign.
That incident led to a grand jury indicting Perry on two felony charges.
Mindy Montford told the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV (http://bit.ly/1soGSYI) that Perry personally called her in June 2013 to tell her of his plan to veto the money if Lehmberg stayed.
Perry has defended his veto. His attorneys are expected to soon ask for the indictment to be dismissed.
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com
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