Perry: Legal case won’t change ’16 calculus

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) said Wednesday that a judge’s decision to allow the criminal case against him to continue will not affect his decision on running for president in 2016.

{mosads}”No, we’re going to continue on,” he said at a press conference. “As a matter of fact, I’m just back from South Carolina, where we had great crowds and a lot of enthusiasm, after I spent two days in Iowa with, again, an opportunity to talk to people.”

Perry said that he still plans to make an announcement about his intentions in May or June.

The case against Perry hinges on his decision to veto funding to the Travis County district attorney’s office after District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg refused to resign, as Perry had demanded, when she was arrested for drunken driving.

Perry’s attorneys had asked Judge Bert Richardson to dismiss the case because, they argued, the decision was permissible under Perry’s veto power. Richardson declined, and Perry’s lawyers say they plan to appeal.

The conservative former governor has been defiant throughout the case — characterizing it as a political prosecution.

“Under our Constitution, every citizen has the right to speak their mind freely, without political interference or legal intimidation,” Perry said. “This continued prosecution flies in the face of that protection and it directly assaults the United States Constitution.” 

“Americans are looking for a leader who’s not afraid to stand up, not be intimidated,” he added later, when asked about 2016. “Standing up for the rule of law and standing up for the United States Constitution is a good thing and people across the country are very supporting of that.”