Last night, the Associated Press reported that Perry is not sure if he'll pay back taxpayers $80,000 in legal fees he's used, to date, on his private legal defense.
Greg Abbott could make Perry's decision real easy and tell Perry he has to pay it back.
Rick Perry has previously announced that going forward he will use campaign funds, not taxpayer dollars, to pay for his high-priced, 6-7 person legal defense. But before that, he used $80,000 in taxpayer dollars to cover his legal bills - a practice that may be illegal.
State Representative Joe Deshotel first asked Abbott to rule on the issue four months ago, on April 25, and has still heard no response. Jay Root of the Texas Tribune has reported that Sen. John Cornyn, when Attorney General, made a ruling on a similar issue suggesting against Perry's use of taxpayer dollars for campaign funds.
Without a clear opinion from Abbott, who continues to duck every issue possible throughout his campaign, Perry is left pondering if he'll do what is obviously the right thing, as the AP reported:
Indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday that he believes taxpayers should have picked up his legal tab but opted to use campaign funds "to keep from having folks grouse about it."...At least $80,000 in taxpayer dollars have been spent on his defense so far. Perry said Tuesday that he hadn't yet decided if that money would also come from his campaign funds.
Greg Abbott could answer an opinion request that has been sitting on his desk for four months and end all the speculation.
DONATE
Your donation supports our media and helps us keep it free of ads and paywalls.
