AUSTIN - Former Gov. Rick Perry has just begun to fight the indictment that he describes as a “badge of honor,” asking a state judge once again Friday to toss the abuse-of-power charges against him.

His latest motion to toss the indictment, filed by his high-powered legal team, says the charges against him are too vague and don’t actually allege a violation of the law.

Their wording follows a roadmap for another try that was outlined by Judge Bert Richardson Tuesday when he denied two other filings by Perry trying to get rid of the case.

Richardson’s orders “reflect the court has serious, well-founded concerns” about the sufficiency of the case, said the lawyers, Anthony Buzbee and David Botsford, in the motion to quash and set aside the indictment.

“That is such an over-dramatization, and it’s pure spin,” responded Michael McCrum, the special prosecutor in the case. He said of their arguments, “I just think they’re living in a dream world.”

Perry, who is actively eyeing a 2016 presidential run, was indicted last summer on charges springing from his 2013 promise to veto funding for the public corruption unit unless Lehmberg resigned.

Lehmberg served jail time but stayed in office. Perry killed the funding.

A grand jury indicted Perry on two counts: abuse of official capacity, a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison; and coercion of a public servant.

That second charge was described by special prosecutor Michael McCrum as a third-degree felony. Richardson, however, said Tuesday the second count as presented in the indictment was instead a Class A misdemeanor.

Richardson in that earlier ruling pointed out that Perry’s lawyers hadn’t alleged that the indictment’s first count was too vague, nor had they claimed that it gave the former governor “insufficient notice for preparation of his defense.”

“Therefore, defendant has not presented in his motion … any challenges to the sufficiency of the indictment upon which the court can grant him relief,” Richardson wrote Tuesday.

Richardson invited McCrum to amend the first count to include more specifics.

Also in his Tuesday ruling, Richardson said McCrum must amend the indictment’s second count to meet a concern over wording raised by Perry's lawyers.

On Friday, Perry’s lawyers said both counts failed to include enough specifics or to detail an actual crime.

The first count contends that Perry misused the money approved by the Legislature to fund the public integrity unit.

Perry’s lawyers said it doesn’t include enough detail.

The second count says that Perry threatened to veto legislation unless Lehmberg resigned, describing that as an attempt to influence her in the performance of her official duty.

Perry’s team said that charge doesn’t allege the manner and means “of the alleged 'threat.’”

“The alleged defects that they are pointing out are not defects. They are just pointing out what they prefer. The law doesn’t necessarily require what (former) Gov. Perry prefers” as far as the level of detail, Mccrum said.

Perry’s chance to make a comeback after a stumbling run for the GOP presidential nod are shadowed by the indictment.

“What I tell people is I wear this as a badge of honor — standing up for the rule of law and the Constitution,” Perry told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

McCrum said of that comment, “He has to do that, I guess, to get elected as president. As a citizen of this state, I just think it’s sad.”

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac