GOP Hypocrisy Revealed: Jeb Bush Releases Less Than 10% of Private Email
SHOT:
RNC Spokesman Sean Spicer says Jeb Bush has released all of his private emails. [CNN, 3/4/15]CHASER:
Jeb Bush Said He Got 2.5 Million E-Mails On His Public Account And 550,000 On His Private Account During His Eight Years As Governor. According to the Naples Daily News, “Jeb Bush learned plenty during his eight years as Florida governor, he told a crowd at a United Christian Giving fundraiser in Fort Myers on Thursday. The president’s little brother and former president’s son took few partisan shots, mostly entertaining the crowd with stories from ‘Mount Tallahassee.’ […] Bush said he got 550,000 e-mails on his private account and another 2.5 million on his public account during his eight years as governor. That helped him stay in touch with the people of the state even though the capital is far removed geographically from most of the population.” [Naples Daily News, 7/12/07] Jeb Bush Said He Would Launch A Website On Which He Will Make Available About 250,000 E-Mails From His Time As Governor. According to the New York Times, “Jeb Bush said he would launch a website on Tuesday on which he will make available about 250,000 emails from his time as governor of Florida, as well as the first chapter of an e-book about his administration. The emails, which were obtained by a number of news media organizations through a public records request in December, show Mr. Bush’s style in communicating with both his staff and his constituents.” [New York Times, 2/9/15]MEMO: Jeb Bush Hypocrisy on Email Disclosure
Earlier this week, Jeb Bush attempted to capitalize on the recent email controversy by tweeting “Transparency matters. Unclassified @HillaryClinton emails should be released. You can see mine, here jebbushemails.com.” Bush’s attempt to score quick political points exposes him to a powerful hypocrisy attack. As governor, Bush used private emails; thus far he has not disclosed them all. There is even early media speculation that Bush’s actions may have skirted Florida law. Key Points:
- Bush used a personal email address as governor, and there are messages missing. As the Washington Post reporters, “Bush used his personal email address, [email protected], to conduct official, political, and personal business…” but Bush’s email disclosure website (which was already public and available at the Florida state archives) lacks many key messages, including any messages between Jeb Bush and his brother, then-President George W. Bush.
- Media accounts establish that Bush, not the State of Florida, decided which private emails to disclose – apparently nothing would have stopped the Bush team from selectively leaving out politically problematic emails. As the Tampa Bay Times reported, “The Bush files, though enormous, are not complete” because they lacked “emails the governor deemed not relevant to the public record.” In other words, Bush selected what was “relevant” or not for the public record, not civil servants.
American Bridge Submits Open Records Request For Unreleased Bush Emails
Today, in accordance with the Florida Open Records Law, American Bridge is requesting unreleased emails sent from Jeb Bush's private email account during his time as governor. Recently, Bush was quick to brag about releasing 250,000 emails in his ostensible devotion to transparency -- but Bush said he received 550,000 emails on his private account and 2.5 million emails on his public account during his gubernatorial tenure. A full copy of the open records request can be found here, and is copied after the jump.
Can anyone spare a life vest? Asking for some friends in GOP leadership…
As Speaker Boehner continues to flail in an attempt to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout is seemingly endless. Boehner, Congressional Republicans' already low approval ratings, and even relations between the House and Senate GOP caucuses all continue to take on water over the struggle to pass a clean DHS funding bill.
Today's maneuvering is just the latest humiliation for the GOP, raising doubts that the Republicans can even function as a majority party. Some conservatives are even leading a whisper campaign to oust Speaker Boehner. Speaker Boehner's inability to manage this internal discord and dissension may not merely lead to his downfall, but that of his party as well. But don't take our word for it -- check out these no good, very bad headlines raking Boehner and the GOP over the coals...VIDEO: Jeb Bush: CPAC's Persona Non Grata
CPAC 2015. Thousands of attendees, hundreds of speakers and panelists, and upwards of a dozen GOP presidential hopefuls. And yet, a singular, overwhelming theme from the Conservative confab -- unmistakable rancor for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. All three days of the conference found Conservatives landing jab after jab on Jeb, from Laura Ingraham to Chris Christie to Donald Trump.
Video Ties Bush to Nigerian Pump Deal He Denied Involvement In
SHOT: Bush Denied Involvement With The Nigeria Deal…
Bush Claimed He Was Not Involved In The Nigerian Pump Deal. According to St. Petersburg Times, “Bush-El was an affiliated company that promoted MWI’s equipment overseas. Bush has said he was not involved in the Nigerian pump deal.” [St. Petersburg Times, 7/27/02]CHASER:
VIDEO: Jeb Bush Traveled To Nigeria And Met With Col. Abdu One Mohammed, The Governor Of Borno State Nigeria, Touted Opening Of MWI Factory. Video. [Naples Daily News, 2/28/15]
Scott Walker: "Most Significant" Foreign Policy Decision Was Firing American Workers
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, fresh off of comparing middle class American workers in his state to ISIS, is tripling down on the idea that doing Wall Street's dirty work will prepare him to face down foreign threats. This morning at a closed Club for Growth event, Walker called Reagan's decision to fire 11,000 air traffic controllers the most important foreign policy decision in his lifetime. Scott Walker was born in 1967. Here's a brief list of major foreign policy decisions that have occurred in his lifetime: - Nixon opening China - The global war on terror - Every START treaty - The Vietnam War - American involvement in Kosovo
Walker flailing on ISIS
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker revealed over and over again at CPAC yesterday that he's not up to the task of confronting ISIS and doesn't understand the threat. How bad was it? Even Rick Perry and the National Review thought he went too far. First, Walker compared thousands of middle class Wisconsinites who protested his destructive policies to ISIS terrorists. Then, trying to do damage control, he said that no, he didn't meant to compare the two, but that the intensity was similar.
VIDEO: Watch Walker Compare Wisconsinites to ISIS
Governor Scott Walker, who has a record of ducking foreign policy questions, showed why today at CPAC. When asked what his plan was to deal with ISIS, Walker compared thousands of middle class constituents protesting his destructive policies to ISIS. Watch the stunning video here:
MEMO/VIDEO: Floundering Republican Candidates Are Desperate To Right The Ship At CPAC
It's CPAC time. That means thousands of Republicans are descending on National Harbor over the next few days. And at this rate, it seems that about half of them will run for president. Now all they need is one viable candidate. The 2016 Republican presidential primary began unexpectedly early, when Jeb Bush made the December declaration that he was "actively exploring" a run at the White House, accelerating his rivals' timeline in the process. Maybe they shouldn't have jumped the gun. If the last couple months have shown us anything, it's how wildly unprepared for primetime this cast of presidential hopefuls truly are.