George P. Bush, Texas land commissioner and Jeb's son, hired most of staff in legally suspect way

George P. Bush, Texas land commissioner and Jeb's son
(Image credit: Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

Last week, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush responded to criticism from his predecessor that he had replaced nonpartisan bureaucrats at the General Land Office with loyalists by explaining that many of the employees that he inherited in January were making too much money. "We're going to try our best to make it more objective, more fair, based about not your relationships, but based upon what you bring to the table," he said of his office, which oversees 13 million acres of Texas public lands, including leasing mineral rights to oil and gas companies. On Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported that a full 76.4 percent of Bush's new employees were hired without advertising the jobs, in probable violation of state law.

Bush, a son of Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, isn't alone. Seven top Texas officials elected in 2014 — including Bush, Gov. Greg Abbott (R), and Attorney General Ken Paxton — have hired 146 people with personal or political connections, along with 33 other people also given jobs without any competition, according to the Chronicle's Brian M. Rosenthal. Those 179 unadvertised jobs, prohibited under a 1991 law, represent 15.4 percent of the hires of these seven officials over the past 11 months, but Bush is bending the curve, handing out 55 of 72 jobs without competition, including creating a "special counsel" position for law school friend Hector Valle, 37. Another new hire, his chief of staff, was an aide to his uncle, George W. Bush.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.