Mixed reactions on X to Gov. Abbott's pardon of Daniel Perry: 'Excellent,' 'all-time low'

Prominent Texas political figures from both sides of the aisle reacted to the news that Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry after a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles was announced Thursday. Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May 2023 for the murder of 28-year-old Garrett Foster.

Foster was attending a Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Austin on July 25, 2020, when Perry, an Army sergeant, was working as an Uber driver in Austin. Perry ran a red light and turned into the rally. Perry told police that Foster approached his car with a raised AK-47, so he shot him five times with a handgun and then drove away.

Perry will have his firearm rights restored, the statement said. He may also be able to apply to have his record expunged, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Attorney General Ken Paxton praises the pardon of Daniel Perry

"Americans across the country have been watching this case in Texas and praying for justice after BLM riots terrorized the nation in 2020," Attorney General Ken Paxton said. "Our right to self-defense is enshrined in the Constitution. Soros-backed prosecutors like Jose Garza do not get to pick and choose the rights we have as Americans, and I am relieved that justice has prevailed."

Beto O'Rourke calls Gov. Greg Abbott the 'biggest threat' to law and order in Texas

Democrat and former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke bashed Abbott’s pardoning of Perry on X.

“Abbott will try to tell you that the biggest threat to law and order in Texas is immigrants. Or President Biden. Or college students. But it’s him,” O’Rourke wrote.

O'Rourke followed with a thread of posts in which, citing multiple news articles, he listed instances of what he deemed Abbott’s failures: Texas’ power grid crisis in the 2021 winter storm, the neglect of children in the foster care system, the state’s abortion ban, Abbott’s response to the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde and the treatment of migrants crossing the Rio Grande into Texas.

“The truth is this guy doesn't give a s— about you, your life, your safety or the rule of law,” O’Rourke wrote. “He cares about pandering to extreme right wing Republicans and raising money from billionaires. That's why he pardoned Perry, that's why he hurts the people he should be helping.”

US Rep. Chip Roy weighs in

"Excellent," 21st District Congressman Chip Roy said, chiming in on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a one-word response to Gov. Abbott's announcement.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds blasts the move as an 'all-time low'

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Houston Democrat who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, described Abbott's action as an "all-time low, even for the governor." Reynolds described the pardon as a gesture to the Trump wing of the Republican Party.

"I am very frustrated," Reynolds told the American-Statesman. "This seems to be very much MAGA-driven, something he's doing to keep his base happy. I will be sending a letter to the governor expressing my disappointment. I doubt that he'll care."

Reynolds also called the pardon "a slap in the face to the Foster family (and to) the Black Lives Matter movement."

Matt Rinaldi, Texas GOP chair, says it was 'about freaking time'

Gilberto Hinojosa, Texas Democratic Party chair: 'Our justice system was hijacked'

"Today, a convicted murderer will walk the streets of Texas," Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement. "Texas Republicans have once again proven that they cannot keep the public safe, they are not the party of 'tough on crime,' and they are not the party of 'law and order.' Only in an authoritarian state can a murderer be fully pardoned at the direction of a Fox News TV personality and corrupt governor.

"Make no mistake: Daniel Perry is a murderer who was on a mission to commit violence against Texans, and today our justice system was hijacked for political gain."

Democratic political strategist criticizes decision to pardon Daniel Perry

'Really unbelievable in light of all the evidence'

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Gov. Abbott's pardon of Daniel Perry sparks mixed reactions on X