Texas Tribune – by John Reynolds
Gov. Rick Perry continued to work to get Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmbergto resign even after following through on the threat to veto money for the public integrity unit. The Tribune’s Terri Langford reported Tuesday night — citing unnamed sources — that Perry through emissaries offered to restore the money if Lehmberg would leave:
The sources said the offer was made to Lehmberg through several back channels: If Lehmberg — a Democrat whose office was in charge of investigating state officeholders — would resign, Perry would restore the two years in state funds, about $7.5 million, that he had vetoed following her April 12, 2013, arrest and subsequent guilty plea.
“It was communicated to me if she stepped out, [Perry] would restore the funding,” said Travis County Judge Samuel T. Biscoe, a Democrat who said he was one of several people made aware of the proposal from Perry’s office. “I was told his office made the representations.”
Perry representatives maintained that the governor was using his constitutional authority in vetoing the funding and that no one on the governor’s staff met with Lehmberg. When asked if staff asked others to carry an offer to Lehmberg, a Perry spokesman declined to comment.
Sources told Langford that Lehmberg was told in July about the offer to restore the money for the public integrity unit in exchange for her resignation. A grand jury continues to look at a criminal complaint that Perry’s actions around his veto threat amounted to criminal acts, including coercion of a public official and bribery.
He does manage to stay in the news one way or another, doesn’t he.
$$$ (Super PACs) and BS.