The right-wing governor has a clear history of "power moves." (Robert Scoble, Creative Commons)

This indictment may come as a surprise for many Texans - Perry can easily be accused of overzealousness in his fight to “protect state’s rights” from Obamacare and to protect the border by deploying national troops, but the state can’t file charges against him for that. The scandal was so underrepresented in the news because of its complex nature, but here is a succinct explanation:

Rosemary Lehmberg, the Travis County District Attorney and head of the the state’s Public Integrity Unit was arrested in April 2013 for DWI. She pleaded guilty and served several days in jail - but she refused to resign, despite public opinion that strongly urged her to do so.

In June that same year, Governor Perry revealed his intention to veto the Public Integrity Unit’s budget, thereby effectively dismantling it, if Lehmberg did not step down. When she again refused, Perry made good on his promise and took away $8 million in funding from the unit for two years. He apparently made no secret of any of this, claiming from the beginning that his actions were not illegal. 

If Lehmberg did leave the post, one of the few powerful positions in Texas controlled by a Democrat would have disappeared, as Perry would almost certainly have replaced her with a Republican. Democrats immediately decried these sanctions, contending that the state would then have no way to investigate wrongdoings by public officials - most of whom were Republicans. 

Texans For Public Justice, a liberal watchdog group filed a complaint against Perry in June that resulted in today’s indictment.

A statement by Perry’s general counsel maintains that Perry made the veto “in accordance with the…authority afforded to every governor under the [state] constitution.” He is the first sitting Texas governor to be indicted since 1917, and widely believed to be a contender in the 2016 presidential election.  

He’ll be asked more than a few questions about how radical politics can bring out the felon in a man.

Reach Executive Producer Ashley Yang here, or follow her on Twitter.