AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighed into the controversy surrounding the Travis County District Attorney's decision to charge 19 Austin Police Department officers with aggravated assault in connection to the 2020 racial justice protests - even going so far as to indicate he would consider pardons of any officers convicted of the charges facing them.
"Time will tell whether the accusations against the courageous Austin police officers is a political sham," said Abbott in a statement. "Time will also tell whether I, as Governor, must take action to exonerate any police officer unjustly prosecuted."
Abbott's statement Wednesday comes after the indictments were released publicly Tuesday. 19 officers are facing first-degree felony charges of aggravated assault for their alleged conduct during racial justice protests in downtown Austin in May 2020.
Abbott's statement joins a number of city leaders who have voiced their criticism of the indictments pursued by District Attorney Jose Garza's office, including Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk and Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon.
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"Last year, Austin set an all-time record for the number of murders," said Abbott. "It comes as no surprise that murders increased after Austin decreased funding for law enforcement. In Texas, we do not defund and denigrate our law enforcement officers. Instead we support them for risking their own lives and safety to protect our communities from people who endanger and attack our communities."
Abbott has been a frequent critic of Austin's efforts to "reimagine" public safety, pushing the Legislature to pass a bill that forced city leaders to return some $150 million in funding to the department's budget.
"In 2020, Texas experienced violent protests that wreaked havoc on our cities," said Abbott. "In Austin, law enforcement officers defended the state Capitol from criminal assault, protected the Austin Police Department headquarters from being overrun, cleared the interstate from being shut down, and disrupted criminal activity in areas across the city. Many officers were physically attacked while protecting Austin. Those officers should be praised for their efforts, not prosecuted."
Trials for the 19 officers indicted last week are expected to be delayed by up to a year or more, as Travis County courts are just beginning to work through the backlog created by the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the officers are now out on bond, and are expected to remain on administrative duty until their cases are resolved.