HOUSTON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Texas Governor Rick Perry, an aspirant for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, was indicted Friday by a grand jury for allegedly abusing the power of his office, U.S. media reports said.
Perry was indicted by grand jurors on one count of abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony with potential punishments of five to 99 years in prison, and one count of coercion of a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years.
The charges were related to a veto Perry made last year. The governor then allegedly vetoed an anti-corruption division's funding to force its supervisor, a Democratic leader to resign following a drunken-driving scandal. The move was seen by Perry's critics as politically charged.
David L. Botsford, a defense lawyer representing Perry, told the media Friday that the indictment "clearly represents political abuse of the court system and there is no legal basis in this decision."
He argued that "the facts of this case conclude that the governor's veto was lawful, appropriate and well within the authority of the office of the governor."
The Governor's office has not made any response as of Friday night. It is not clear when Perry will be arraigned.
The indictment came as Perry has been getting some favorable attention while he eyes a 2016 White House race in the wake of his failed effort to win the 2012 Republican nomination. He has been traveling to Republican battleground states and party gatherings in recent months to bolster his image. And the governor has been among U.S. President Barack Obama's most vocal critics in blasting the White House's "inaction" to illegal immigration.
Perry assumed the governorship in 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become president of the United States. He is the longest serving governor in Texas state history. Friday's action also makes him the first Texas governor indicted in nearly a century, according to the U.S. media.
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