Judge refuses to toss Rick Perry charges

A Texas judge on Tuesday declined to toss out abuse of power and coercion charges against Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas).

Perry’s lawyers had asked Senior District Judge Bert Richardson to dismiss the case because they argued that special prosecutor Michael McCrum had not correctly taken his oath of office.

But Richardson said that any “irregularities” in the oath wouldn’t void his actions, adding that there hadn’t been any complaints over the oath for the 15 months that he’s served, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The ruling allows the felony case against Perry to move forward.

Perry, who is seen as a White House contender in 2016, was indicted in August on charges of abuse of power and coercion of a public servant after pressuring a district attorney who oversees a public accountability office to resign.

The governor says the charges against him are baseless and politically motivated.

District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested in 2013 for drunk driving and ultimately pleaded guilty. After a video of her arrest made rounds on the Internet, Perry called for her to step down and threatened to cut the public accountability office’s budget. When Lehmberg refused to resign, Perry vetoed the office’s funding in the state’s budget.

Perry has maintained that he did not overstep his bounds and had the right as governor to veto the funds. His lawyer told the San Antonio Express-News that he expects Perry to be exonerated by the end of the month.

“We respectfully disagree with the judge, but as always, will respect the court’s decision and will await his further rulings that go to the heart of the Constitution and Governor Perry’s rights and obligations under the rule of law,” he said.