Rick Perry: Mugshot Not Happening Any Time Soon

Rick Perry was expected to turn himself in and pose for the required mugshot as early as today, but the judge involved in the case decided against ordering an arrest warrant for the Texas Governor. Perry would not have had to spend any time behind bars, but was prepared to follow the formal surrender process as required by law. The likely Presidential 2016 contender maintains the felony charges filed against him are baseless and likely politically motivated. Heavyweights from both sides of the aisle have come out in support of Rick Perry.

The Texas Governor was indicted by a grand jury on Friday evening, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. The charges stems from plans to veto funding for a state agency after the public had reportedly lost confidence in district attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. She had been found guilty of drunk driving. If convicted on the felony charges, Rick Perry could spend up to 99 years behind bars.

Judge Bert Richardson decided against issuing an arrest warrant against Governor Perry, according to Travis County Clerk Linda Estrada. Rick Perry will instead be issued a summons to appear, but such a document has not yet been issued. Once the governor’s defense attorney and the state establish a court date, the summons will be issued.

Moments ago, I delivered these remarks to the media in Austin. http://t.co/fb19qvFu5V

— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) August 16, 2014

The felony charges filed against the Texas Governor include coercion and official oppression. Perry stated publicly that he would veto $7.5 million for an anti-corruption unit. In his first national television interview after the coercion charges were filed against him, Rick Perry stood behind his decision to veto funding for the Texas anti-corruption unit. Perry had publically asked district attorney Rosemary Lehmberg (a Democrat) to resign after she was found guilty of drunk, and she had refused, prior to the veto comments being made. “I stood up for the rule of law in the state of Texas, and if I had to do it again, I would make exactly the same decision,” the Texas Governor said.

Former President Obama adviser David Axelrod even stated that the charges against Governor Rick Perry appear flimsy. “Unless he was demonstrably trying to scrap the ethics unit for other than his stated reason, Perry indictment seems pretty sketchy,” Axelrod said.

Rick Perry staunchly maintains his innocence and said this of his supporters, “I think across the board you’re seeing people weigh in and reflecting that this is way outside the norm. This is not the way we settle political differences in this country. We settle our political differences at the ballot box.”

Calls of Perry to run for president and a plethora of support for his efforts to stop the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the United States and to secure the border have prompted claims that the felony charges against the Texas governor are nothing more than a ploy to diminish his rising star in the political arena.

What do you think about the Rick Perry felony indictment?

[Image Via: Twitter]