Rick Perry Booked on Felony Charges

Texas Gov. Rick Perry smiled for his police mugshot and promised to be vindicated on abuse-of-power charges today. Perry turned himself in at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on the felony accusations, reports Reuters. “I'm here today because I believe in the rule of law," he said before entering the courthouse to be booked, reports the San Antonio Express-News. "I'm here today because I did the right thing. I'm going to enter this courthouse with my head held high knowing that the actions that I took were not only lawful and legal but right."

The governor's case stems from allegations that he tried to intimidate a Democratic district attorney into resigning after she was charged with drunken driving. When she refused to do so, he made good on a threat to veto funds for the public corruption unit she was running. For the record, Perry is charged with one count of abuse of official capacity and one count of coercion of a public servant. The first is a felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison and the second is a lesser felony punishable by two to 10 years. (As for the mugshot, he apparently heard experts' advice to ditch the glasses.)