AUSTIN — A Texas judge was expected to seat a grand jury Monday in an investigation into whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his power by vetoing funding for public corruption prosecutors last year.
Special State District Judge Bert Richardson was to oversee the impaneling in Austin. The governor’s office didn’t return messages seeking comment, but The Austin-American Statesman and KVUE-TV reported that Perry took the unusual step of hiring a criminal defense attorney to represent him.
The attorney, David Botsford, did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
In June, the governor threatened to veto funding approved by the Texas Legislature for the Public Integrity Unit after Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, whose office oversees the unit, refused to resign after her arrest for drunken driving.
New grand jury expected to be seated in Gov. Rick Perry’s ethics case | Dallas Morning News.