Rick Perry Isn't Letting His Indictment Slow Down His Potential Campaign For President

Perry's aides told The Associated Press that Perry still plans a slate of appearances in the key primary state of New Hampshire next weekend amid a potential second campaign for president, including "events in Portsmouth, Manchester and Nashua on Friday, followed by a rally Saturday in Stratham, and Republican gatherings in Rochester and Chichester."

Perry is also set to give a speech on Thursday before the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington.

In the coming weeks, Perry has still more events scheduled. According to the AP, Perry plans to spend two days in another key primary state, South Carolina, at the end of August, and is expected to appear with other presidential candidates at an Americans for Prosperity event in Texas. At the start of September, Perry further plans to return to Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential primary.

This aggressive travel schedule is all despite the criminal allegations accusing him of abusing his office and coercing a public official when he carried out a threat to veto a state-level prosecutor's funding. Perry has defended the move, pointing to the prosecutor's drunken driving arrest.

"I exercised this authority to veto funding for an office whose leadership had lost the public's confidence by acting inappropriately and unethically," he said at a press conference on Saturday. "I wholeheartedly and unequivocally stand behind my veto and I'll continue to defend this lawful action of my execution authority as governor."

The special prosecutor who is bringing the case against Perry has said he will meet Perry's lawyer on Monday to discuss the case.