Moments ago, D.C.-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released its report Worst Governors, which claims to serve up "in-depth analyses of 11 elected officials who have pushed their states' best interests aside in favor of their supporters, families, political parties and bank accounts." And, yes, Rick Perry's among the governors who made the list -- along with New York's David Patterson, South Carolina's Mark Sanford, New Mexico's Bill Richardson and California's Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here's the section on the Newsweek cover boy, which details the charges summarized below:
- Allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws and aided a business that was especially generous to his campaign
- Refused to operate transparently, and has blocked access to information related to a death penalty case
- Rejected federal stimulus funds in a manner that appeared to put partisan politics ahead of the interests of the citizens of Texas
- Has perpetuated the revolving door between government and special interests
- Accepted travel and campaign donations from a business that received benefits from his official actions
- Used campaign funds for a personal trip with questionable relevance to his campaign for office
