Former Texas governor and two-time GOP presidential candidate, Rick Perry, was cleared of all charges, on 24 Feb., in the abuse-of-power claims levelled against him in 2014.
The case was based on Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who refused to resign from her position, after a much publicized, drunk-driving arrest. Perry, as Governor of Texas, used his veto powers to stop state funding of a public integrity unit that was overseen by Lehmberg.
"Texans for Public Justice" had then objected to Perry's veto decision, alleging he had misused his gubernatorial powers. This led to Perry's indictment in 2014.
"I'm proud to say the court upheld the law and the right of any person to speak freely without the threat of legal intimidation. The court's decision today proves that this indictment was nothing less than a baseless political attack, and an assault on constitutional powers. I think the people of this state do not want rogue prosecutors to use the court to get done what they can't get done at the ballot box," Perry said during a press conference, according to CNN.
Michael McCrum, the special prosecutor in the case, felt the decision was a "horrendous" one, reports NYSE Post.
Meanwhile, Perry's attorney opined that it was a "shame that it took that long to get something as weak and misguided as this to be dismissed. The court's decision today proves that this indictment was nothing less than a baseless political attack, and an assault on constitutional powers", said Tony Buzzbee, Perry's attorney, reports the Tri County Sun Times.
The indictment was one of the main reason for Perry dropped out of the 2016 Presidential race.
