Former Texas Governor Rick Perry had more going on this past week than just the announcement that he will be making his reality TV debut as one of the contestants on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

The 66-year old conservative statesman also had some stern words for FBI Director James Comey.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Wednesday called on FBI Director James Comey to resign over his recommendation not to press federal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a personal server while secretary of State.

The demand from Perry, who suggested Comey might have a political motivation for going soft on Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, is a step across a line that no other prominent Republican has so far been willing to take.

It was a step that needed to be taken.

Comey sat before the House Oversight Committee in July and testified that not only did Hillary Clinton’s email practices put the nation’s security at risk, but that her claims about her emails and private server were “not true.”

Comey went on to defend the FBI’s refusal to bring charges against Clinton, saying they had no basis to conclude that she “lied to the FBI.”

You may want to read those last couple of paragraphs again.

Now that you’ve suffered a slight brain bleed, through trying to figure out how Comey fails to connect “not true” and “lie,” it makes Governor Perry’s frustrated statements more valid.

“Comey has a lot of explaining to do, because those of us who understand what was going on here — the Clintons were clearly trying to hide this server,” he said. “They did not want that information in, and for Comey to stand up and make excuses for Hillary is absolutely and totally unacceptable.

“I think [Comey] has some skin in the game here somewhere,” Perry said. “To protect the Clintons at this particular juncture is an extraordinary failure on his part.”

It absolutely is.

Governor Perry can enjoy a certain amount of freedom in speaking his mind, at this point in his life. Apparently, Congressional Republicans cannot, as none have been as bold in their speech regarding Comey’s apparent refusal to hold Clinton accountable.

Top Republican lawmakers have questioned the department’s judgment and demanded that the bureau release an unclassified version of its case file, which could be public as soon as this week.

Democrats have maintained that this is a big Nothing burger. Clinton has already taken her victory lap. At this point, it will take some bold moves to convince the nation (those who still care enough to pay attention) that America is more than just another banana republic.