Rick Perry Notes Triumph Over Abuse of Power Charges in Questionnaire for Senate Confirmation

WASHINGTON — Does he have conflicts of interest? No. Has he done work on behalf of foreign governments? Not once. Has he ever been investigated for violating state law? Well...As part of preparation for his upcoming confirmation hearing, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has submitted a standard questionnaire for the Senate energy committee. Perry, nominated for secretary of energy by President-elect Donald Trump, acknowledges his a three-year legal battle over an allegation that he’d abused his powers while he was governor, writing in a tone that's both defensive and triumphant over the charges he ultimately beat."Legal experts of all political views uniformly criticized the investigation and indictment as a politically-motivated scam," he wrote. "The dismissed charges have since been expunged."In 2014, Perry was indicted on charges of “abuse of official capacity” and “coercion of a public servant” in connection with his threat to veto $7.5 million in state funds for the public integrity unit of the Travis County district attorney’s office. He made the threat after Democratic District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested and pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, saying he would withhold state funds from her office unless she resigned.  Continue reading...