Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has hired Steve Schmidt to assist with strategy in fighting criminal charges against him for abuse of power, as first reported by Politico.
Schmidt, a longtime Republican strategist, was a senior campaign adviser and strategist in John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The move is the latest in a series of high-profile hires to Perry’s legal team, which suggest that the rumored 2016 presidential hopeful is taking the indictment very seriously.
He recently hired Ben Ginsberg, a former George W. Bush lawyer, and Mark Fabiani, a former Bill Clinton lawyer and Al Gore’s 2000 campaign spokesman. Ginsberg and Fabiani were key figures, on opposing sides, during the 2000 recount.
Evan Smith, the editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune, dubbed it an “Ocean’s Eleven-style” legal team.
Via @maggiepolitico, the latest addition to the Ocean’s Eleven-style @governorperry legal team: Steve Schmidt http://t.co/VNYZDA9yBf
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) August 26, 2014
