Perry spends $2 million in state campaign cash on legal defense

Former Gov. Rick Perry has spent more than $2 million in state campaign cash fighting the abuse-of-power indictment against him, according to finance records made public Thursday.

In the first half of the year, Perry, now a presidential candidate, tapped his Texas campaign coffers to pay just over $1 million to four law firms for “legal defense,” the records show. The bills climb even higher with tens of thousands of dollars paid to a New York firm for what Perry’s campaign described as “legal defense consulting.”

His state campaign had already disclosed spending more than $1 million on his defense during the second half of last year.

The steady stream of legal fees has left Perry with roughly $1.3 million in the account, a fraction of the $4.4 million he had stockpiled a year ago. And with Perry no longer holding statewide office, little money is flowing into the account — $685 from January through June.

Despite the hefty tab, the case has seen little movement in recent months. Perry’s lawyers are awaiting a ruling from the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, where they are seeking to reverse visiting Judge Bert Richardson’s decision this year not to dismiss the indictment.

A Travis County grand jury issued the indictment almost a year ago. The case, which alleges that Perry abused his power and coerced a public servant, centers on his threat to veto state funding for the Public Integrity Unit unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg stepped down after a drunken-driving arrest. At the time, Lehmberg’s office housed the unit, which handles ethics complaints against public officials.

Perry is nonetheless waging an underdog bid for the White House, maintaining to voters that the case is politically motivated and will fade away.

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Perry spends $2 million in state campaign cash on legal defense."