Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has been indicted on two felony counts related to his threat to veto $7.5 million for an anti-corruption office run by the Travis County district attorney. Politically, this could potentially harm Perry — his term ends next year, and a lingering court case could hamstring his widely expected run for president in 2016. It could also be a political boon, if Perry is able to shrug off these charges while winning over conservatives by casting this as more Big Government overreach from Democrats.
But let's set aside the politics. What are Perry's legal risks?
The two charges — abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant — stem from Perry's threat to withhold funding from the Public Integrity Unit (PIU) unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, resigned.