Jeb Bush had a lot of shady business dealings

last updated 15 June 2015

In the 1980s, Jeb Bush used his relationship with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, to ease federal rules for certain companies in Florida that were later accused of breaking the law, The Washington Post reports. The report focuses on Miguel Recarey Jr., who fled the country after his health care company allegedly stole Medicare funds, but Jeb Bush had connections — including consulting contracts and board memberships — with several companies that engaged in illicit behavior.

In one case, Bush reportedly advocated for a federal loan guarantee for a Miami contractor later convicted of fraud in applying for the loan, though Bush later said he did not recall doing so. He became a board member and consultant to a Florida-based manufacturer whose two top officers are now serving federal prison sentences for defrauding investors and the U.S. government. And he worked with another Florida firm investigated for alleged fraud involving a deal to sell water pumps to Nigeria underwritten by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. [The Washington Post]

Bush declined to comment, though in the past he has defended his support for business interests in Florida, where he was governor from 1999 to 2007. Bush's business history is likely to come up in his expected run for the president in 2016.