Thread: Texas Gov. Perry indicted for coercion for veto threat

These investigations need to turn to the federal level and weed out members of Congress, appointees, White House and government employees who are on the take with the cartels that would explain their schemes, plots and plans to ignore, bypass, usurp and breach US immigration, US labor and US civil rights laws.

Ex-Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell sentenced to 1 year

By ALAN SUDERMAN and LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press
Updated 10:03 am, Friday, February 20, 2015

• 
  Former first lady Maureen McDonnell, right, arrives at federal court with her son Bobby for her sentencing on corruption charges in Richmond, Va., Friday, Feb. 20, 2015. Federal prosecutors have recommended an 18-month prison term, six months less than former Gov. Bob McDonnell received when he was convicted on 11 counts last month. Photo: Steve Helber, AP

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell was sentenced Friday to one year and 1 day in prison for her role in a bribery scheme that destroyed her husband's political career.

U.S. District Judge James Spencer sentenced McDonnell on eight public corruption counts. The couple had been found guilty of doing favors for a nutritional supplements executive in exchange for $165,000 in gifts and loans. Prosecutors had asked for an 18-month sentence for the former first lady.

Defense attorneys requested probation and 4,000 hours of community service.

Fighting back tears, McDonnell apologized to her family and Virginians and said she takes full responsibility.

"I would ask in your sentence today that you consider the punishment I've already received," she said. "My marriage is broken, my family is hurting and my reputation is in shatters."

But the judge called the case "puzzling and bizarre," saying there appeared to be two Maureen McDonnells — the loving mother and devoted wife and the first lady "who belittled and terrorized employees" at the Executive Mansion.

"How can a person become so bedazzled by material possessions that she can no longer see the difference between what's appropriate and inappropriate," Spencer said.

Her husband, former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), convicted of 11 counts, was sentenced to two years in prison last month.

He is free on bond while he appeals the convictions to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear arguments May 12.

A jury in September found the McDonnells guilty of taking more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company's nutritional supplements — primarily the tobacco-derived anti-inflammatory Anatabloc. Among the gifts were about $20,000 in designer accessories and clothing for Maureen McDonnell and a $6,500 Rolex watch she gave her husband for Christmas.

Bob McDonnell, who was widely considered a possible Mitt Romney running mate before the scandal broke, testified during the six-week trial. His wife did not.

Maureen McDonnell is likely the first modern-day spouse of a governor convicted on felony charges arising from her occupancy in an executive mansion, according to scholars and research conducted by The Associated Press. First spouses of the states have had lesser brushes with the law, such as a former West Virginia first lady who was acquitted more than a century ago on charges of forging her first husband's signature, but none has confronted the prospect of a prison term for a felony conviction.

Lewis L. Gould, a University of Texas professor emeritus who wrote a research paper in the 1980s on the spouses of governors, said state first ladies borrow heavily from the public service example of the spouses of presidents. But they generally have little guidance on the demands of the largely ceremonial job, he said.

Maureen McDonnell's lawyers said in court papers that she was never comfortable in the role of first lady, and she cracked under the pressure and the fear of letting her husband down.

Gould said he envisions discussions among the first ladies in years to come along the lines of, "You have to watch out. Look what happened to one of us in Virginia."

Supporters testified Friday that Maureen McDonnell is a thoughtful woman devoted to her family, but she was overwhelmed by her role as first lady.

Friend Lisa Kratz Thomas said Maureen has barely left her house since she was convicted last September and has little social interaction outside of a Bible study.

"She's lost her dignity," Thomas said. "She's really become a prisoner in her own home."

Daughter Rachel McDonnell said the scandal surrounding her parents has driven her family apart and that her mother feels "very alone."

Several character witnesses asked that Maureen McDonnell be spared prison time.

The third of nine children of an FBI agent, Maureen McDonnell became a Washington Redskins cheerleader in the early 1970s. She met her husband-to-be in 1973, when he was attending Notre Dame on an ROTC scholarship, and they were married in 1976.

Her lawyers say in court papers that she dedicated her adult life to raising the couple's five children and supporting her husband's political career. She worked off and on in a variety of jobs, including selling nutritional supplements from home.

The trial exposed details of the McDonnells' strained marriage as defense attorneys tried to show that the couple could not have conspired to extract bribes from Williams because they were barely communicating. Several witnesses testified about Maureen McDonnell's erratic behavior and angry outbursts, which nearly prompted a mass walkout by the Executive Mansion staff. Bob McDonnell testified that he began working later than necessary to avoid his wife's wrath.

Maureen McDonnell's attorney, William Burck, told jurors that his client developed a "crush" on Williams as her time with her increasingly busy husband dwindled. Some witnesses described the former first lady's relationship with Williams as inappropriate, but nobody suggested it was physical.

Williams, who testified under immunity for the prosecution, denied any romantic connection and said he only gave the McDonnells loans and luxury goods to get their help as he sought state-backed research of Anatabloc.

On Friday, Maureen McDonnell alluded to the judge's statement at her husband's sentencing that she had "let the serpent," Williams, into the Executive Mansion.

"The venom from that snake has poisoned my marriage, has poisoned my family, has poisoned the commonwealth that I love," she said.

"I opened the door and I blame no one but myself."

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/art...be-6091526.php

http://www.alipac.us/f9/rep-michael-...-fraud-316270/

http://www.alipac.us/f19/gop-governo...uyouts-317765/

Appeals Court Tosses 1 of 2 Indictments Against Rick Perry

by CARRIE DANN and ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Texas appeals court has dismissed one of two criminal charges against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in an abuse-of-power case.

The court tossed out a charge related to "coercion of a public servant," arguing that the underlying statute violated Perry's first amendment rights.

"The statute on which the "coercion of a public servant" is based, as written, and as we are bound to construe it, violates the First Amendment and, accordingly, cannot be enforced," the court wrote.

Perry still faces one count regarding "Abuse of Official Capacity"
The case stems from Perry's 2013 threat and then decision to veto funding to the Travis County Public Integrity Unit unless a district attorney convicted of drunk driving resigned. When the district attorney didn't back down, he followed through with the veto.

Perry's chief counsel, Tony Buzbee, called the move "a clear step towards victory for the rule of law."

"The only remaining count we believe to be a misdemeanor, and the only issue is whether the governor's veto - or any veto in the absence of bribery - can ever be illegal," he said. "The appeals court made clear that this case was questionable. The remaining charge is hanging by a thread, and we are confident that once it is put before the court, it will be dismissed on its face."

Perry is seeking the Republican nomination for president. He left the governor's office in January.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016...-perry-n397841

8/1/15

http://www.alipac.us/f19/grand-jury-...harges-321719/

Originally Posted by Newmexican

A person might not like the man but the method is dangerous.

I agree. This is actually one time I think Perry did the right thing. I don't like Perry and I seldom agree with him. However, I don't like to see anyone 'tar and feathered' in the liberal media for doing the right thing. Of course the media is quiet as a church mouse when he's doing the things that go along with their agenda.

Rick Perry's indictment in hands of top Texas criminal court

November 18, 2015 12:43 CST
By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The felony case against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is now in the hands of the state's highest criminal court.

The former 2016 Republican presidential candidate didn't attend a pivotal hearing Wednesday at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. A forthcoming ruling could determine whether Perry ever stands trial on charges of abusing his power before leaving office.

Perry has said the case dampened his short-lived run for the White House.

His attorneys told the judges that the longest-serving governor in Texas history was within his right to veto funding in 2013 to a local prosecution unit. Perry did so after the Democratic district attorney refused to resign following a drunken driving conviction.

Special prosecutors say the allegations should be settled at trial and not dismissed before then.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/template/inews...l#.Vkzc5narTIU

2/24/16
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Indictment dropped against Rick Perry