The man who started the indictment against Texas Governor Rick Perry was pleased to hear the news on Friday that a grand jury is indicting Perry on felony charges.

Craig McDonald, founder of Texans for Public Justice, filed the original complaint in 2013 claiming that Perry had abused his power.

Like Us on Facebook

After a Travis County Grand Jury indicted Perry on two felony charges, abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant, KENS5 News interviewed McDonald.

"Any governor under indictment for multiple felonies should step down," he said.

McDonald said that Perry was in full rights to do the act that brought the felony charges on him, but it was the way he did it that "crossed the line into law breaking".

Perry had withheld $7.5 million from the Travis County District Attorney's Office, which McDonald said Perry has a right to do, but he withheld the funds as a way to coerce Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg into resigning.

After Lehmberg was arrested for a DUI and served 45 days in jail, Perry demanded she resign. She did not, which made Perry look for another way to get her out of office, choking funds to her Public Integrity Unit, which investigates public corruption.

"The governor crossed the line when he coerced the DA, threatened the DA, tried to take her budget away because she wouldn't do an action he wanted done," McDonald said.

Perry spoke in Austin on Saturday, calling the indictment "a farce of democracy". He said he intends to fight the case and that the case is due to people looking to make political moves.

Perry also said he "unequivocally" stands by his veto of funds, and that indictments are not the way to settle disputes of this magnitude.

The Texas governor will not seek another term and will step down next year after 14 years in office.

If found guilty, Perry faces five to 99 years in prison for abuse of official capacity and two to 10 years for coercion of a public servant. His case begins Friday.

TagsRick Perry, Texas, Indictment, felony