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.”

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.

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

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.”

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