As you have probably heard our governor was indicted on August 15th on charges of "abuse of official capacity" and "coercion of a public servant." The charges were filed in Travis County - where you'll find Austin, the state capital - and the uproar since then was pretty predictable.Since we will be spending time discussing and following the case, it's not a bad idea to lay out the facts associated with the case - it's background and all that - so we can make sense of all it entails.
Here are few links to stories that should get you up to speed, expect more. This story should have legs.
- From the Austin American Statesman: An Interactive Timeline. This might be the best resource available, especially if you are completely new to this. It starts with the events that led to this particular dispute, though it lacks general context.
- Also from the AAS: Rick Perry indicted for Lehmberg veto threat. Thsi walks through the day of the indictment.
- From the Texas Tribune: Five Things to Know About the Perry Indictment. Among the points made: It will be hard to dismiss as purely partisan, but the prosecution wont be easy.
- The Texas Tribune has links to all its stories related to the indictment here.
- From the Texas Observer: Everything You Need to Know* About Rick Perry’s Newest Scandal (*But were afraid to ask). Another overview of the issues in the case, including commentary on the broader issues associated with it, such as the fact that the Travis County's District Attorneys was investigating possible corruption in awarding contracts to the Concern Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Critics of the governor argue that he had overseen the awarding of contract to political supporters, which is illegal. Getting rid of the DA would have allowed him to appoint a - presumably friendly - replacement.
