A Texas grand jury has issued a two-count indictment that goes far beyond any definition of a run-of-the-mill accusation.

The Travis County panel today indicted Gov. Rick Perry on two counts of abuse of power relating to his threat to withhold money from a district attorney’s office if the DA didn’t resign.

http://www.texastribune.org/2014/08/15/grand-jury-indicts-perry-abuse-authority/

One charge is of “abuse of official capacity,” the other is “coercion of a public servant.” The former is a Class A felony, the latter a Class C.

OK, I get that Perry is entitled to a presumption of innocence. Thus, he need not quit an office he is leaving voluntarily at the end of the year.

This, however, is a big political deal apart from the criminal justice aspect.

Perry got himself involved in the Travis County DA’s affairs after DA Rosemary Lehmberg was convicted of drunken driving. Perry threatened to veto money appropriated by the Legislature for Lehmberg’s office. Lehmberg also runs the state’s public integrity unit. Lehmberg is a Democrat; Perry is a Republican.

Perry wanted her moved out. Did he abuse his power to seek her ouster? The grand jury has issued an accusation, which I’m going to presume means the panel believes it has enough evidence to support an indictment.

Well, what does this mean for Perry’s believed desire to run for president in 2016? For my money, it delivers a near-mortal wound to whatever ambition he has for higher office. Whether this case gets adjudicated in time for the presidential campaign or not, the indictment becomes fodder that every Perry foe in both political parties will use to beat him senseless.

One final thought …

Let’s not accuse the grand jury of acting on political motives. The prosecutor in this case was a special counsel brought in to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

The political damage is evident. My hunch is that Gov. Perry also has a serious legal fight on his hands.