Pardon Me?

"Ok so im 16 ill be 17 in 3 months u sure u want me,” wrote a user on Kik Messenger, an instant messaging platform with a troubled history of child exploitation scandals. “What state…Also promise me no nudes until you are old enough to be of age,” Perry said later in the chat."

— steven monacelli 🆓 (@stevanzetti) April 21, 2023

Yeah, that’s not the kind of stuff you want to see publicized about a convicted criminal you want to pardon.

This isn’t news in itself. This information came out right after Abbott announced his intention to pardon Perry. But the details the jury heard, are now details we can all read.

“If the pardon happens, I am concerned that people who agree with the pardon and with what Perry has done will end up following him thinking they’ll get a pardon too,” said a protester who participated in the racial justice movement alongside the man Perry shot, Garrett Foster.

— steven monacelli 🆓 (@stevanzetti) April 21, 2023

The pardon is an absolutely reprehensible idea. But the interesting fact here is Abbott’s silence. He announced the planned pardon on Twitter, but now he won’t press the Board he appointed to give him the recommendation he needs?

"In response to a request for comment regarding Perry’s inappropriate texts a spokesperson for the governor said: “All pertinent information is for the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider, as this is part of the review process required by the Texas Constitution.” "

— steven monacelli 🆓 (@stevanzetti) April 21, 2023

I don’t know how much advantage Abbott gains by not granting this pardon after all. If the Board is his rubber stamp, he loses because they won’t play their part. If they aren’t, he loses because the Governor of Texas is one of the weakest gubernatorial offices in all 50 states. Which doesn’t make Abbott look strong.

Consider that the pardons and paroles board previously unanimously recommended a posthumous pardon for George Floyd, but when it became a news item that posed a political problem for Abbott, the board quietly rescinded their recommendation citing unspecified "procedural errors."

— steven monacelli 🆓 (@stevanzetti) April 21, 2023

The Floyd pardon that wasn’t is the example everyone turns to for how Abbott controls the process. But did Abbott “suggest” they act, then change his mind? Or did they act on their own initiative, and Abbott had to quash it? If the former, Abbott is feckless and blows in the wind. If the latter, the Board may take its responsibilities seriously enough to act independently. The prosecutor of Perry turned over to the Board evidence and transcripts from the trial, which would include the quoted text message. With this publicity, the Board may decide it can’t recommend a pardon, and Abbott would have the problem taken out of his hands. And with this publicity, Abbott might prefer it be taken out of his hands.