Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a failed Republican presidential hopeful in 2012, was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 15, 2014, on charges he abused the powers of his office. Rick Perry's indictment came at a time when he was believed to be weighing whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Here are some questions and answers about Perry's indictment:  

Question: On what specific charges was Perry indicted?


Answer: Perry was indicted on two separate charges – Abuse of Official Capacity and Coercion of a Public Servant. Both are felony offenses under the Texas criminal statutes, the most serious charges that can be brought against a civilian.

Question: What is Rick Perry accused of doing?

Answer: In short, Perry is accused of abusing his authority and coercion because he vetoed $7.5 million in funding for the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney's Office in June 2013 after the top prosecutor there ignored his call to resign earlier that month. 

Question: Why did Perry want the prosecutor to resign?

The prosecutor, Rosemary Lehmberg, is Travis County's district attorney. She pleaded guilty to drunk driving and served 22 days in jail. She is also a Democrat. She also oversaw the Public Integrity Unit, which investigates reports of political corruption in Texas, where Republicans hold most of the elected positions.

Question: Is Perry fighting the indictment?

Answer: Yes. The governor has been very outspoken in his own defense, some would say even defiant.

He has described his indictment as the result of "partisan political theatrics" and turned the tables on investigators and labeled their action against him an abuse of power – the very crime Perry is accused of committing. 

Shortly after learning of his indictment, Perry went on the offensive, telling reporters: “I intend to fight against those who would erode our state's constitution and laws purely for political purposes, and I intend to win.”

David Botsford, one of Perry's attorneys in the case, said the governor's veto was well within his official rights:

“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. Today’s action, which violates the separation of powers outlined in the Texas Constitution, is nothing more than an effort to weaken the constitutional authority granted to the office of Texas governor, and sets a dangerous precedent by allowing a grand jury to punish the exercise of a lawful and constitutional authority afforded to the Texas governor.”

Question: Who filed the complaint against Perry?

Answer: The group Texans for Public Justice filed the complaint. It accused Perry of violating four state laws – the two on which he was indicted, and Official Oppression and Bribery as well. The grand jury did not indict Perry on the last two allegations.

Writing in Politico for the Texans for Public Justice, Craig McDonald and Andrew Wheat explained the reasons for their complaint before the Public Integrity Unit:

"The governor rightly argues that he has absolute authority to veto the Public Integrity Unit’s budget. Texas law does not, however, grant him authority to threaten another public official — even one who behaved as wretchedly as Lehmberg did. Notably, we filed our criminal complaint before Perry vetoed Public Integrity funding. After all, it was the governor’s threats — not his veto — that broke Texas law prohibiting an official from using the power of his or her office to coerce another official into taking an action, such as resignation."

Question:  How much will the indictment hurt his chances of being the Republican presidential nominee in 2016?

Answer: There are, believe it or not, mixed opinions about whether Perry will suffer politically because of the criminal indictment. And the uncertainty is largely because of the way the governor has handled his indictment: He's come out swinging, and that's energized some conservative Republicans who see the case as thin and politically motivated.

As one former chairman of a state Republican Party told The Wall Street Journal: "Republicans in South Carolina are going to eat up what Perry did." 

Question: Is Perry being treated like anyone else accused of committing a crime?

Answer: Yes. He was summoned to a county courthouse in Texas, following his indictment, to be fingerprinted and stand before a camera and have his mugshot taken.