http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/228202-jeb-exits-another-corporate-boardDecember 29, 2014, 03:19 pm
Jeb Bush exits another corporate board
By Jonathan Easley
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will step down from the board of directors at timber company Rayonier Inc., in yet another sign that he intends to run for president in 2016.
In a Securities and Exchange Commission report filed on Monday and first spotted by Bloomberg, the company said Bush will resign from the board at the end of the year.
It’s the third company Bush has said he’ll leave as he seeks to untangle his business interests ahead of a potential bid for the White House.
Last week, Tenet Healthcare, a company that has reportedly profited from the Affordable Care Act, announced that Bush would resign from its board of directors on Dec. 31.
Bush has also said he will leave his advisory role at banking giant Barclays at the end of the year.
He announced earlier this month that he would “actively explore” running for president. He’s currently the top choice for Republican voters in a crowded field of potential candidates.
Bush’s business dealings since his time as governor have already come under scrutiny, and that will only increase if he officially takes the plunge.
Bush is one of the co-founders of Britton Hill Holdings, which through a handful of investment funds has tens of millions of dollars invested in companies around the world.
A Bloomberg BusinessWeek report released earlier this month suggested that Bush would run into the same problems as the 2012 GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, who was a partner at Bain Capital. Romney’s time at Bain was often used against him on the campaign trail, with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) famously calling him a “vulture capitalist.”
Bush has defended his private equity dealings, arguing that the business experience he’s gained would be useful if he ends up in Washington.
“I’m not ashamed,” he said in one interview. “I think taking risks and creating jobs is what we ought to have more of.”
