Bush Hires Staff with Deep Koch Ties

May 4, 2015

Jeb Bush figured out yet another way to suck up to the Koch brothers: Hire their former staff for his campaign. Conveniently, as the Kochs hold open auditions to find their preferred presidential candidate, Bush is adding Jose Mallea, the former national strategic director for the LIBRE Initiative. LIBRE is the Kochs’ front group for Latino outreach.

The LIBRE Initiative has received at least $10 million from the Koch money machine, Freedom Partners, to push the Koch agenda under the facade of Hispanic outreach. While the LIBRE Initiative claims that they are working to empower the Hispanic community, the reality is that they are promoting Koch policies at the expense of Hispanics. LIBRE opposes policies that disproportionately help Hispanics including the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage increases, and immigration reform. Mallea led LIBRE through the 2014 elections when the group challenged Latino candidates in favor of immigration reform. Last month, the group testified against the deportation protections for millions through DAPA, calling it executive overreach.

Bush is bending over backwards to please this electorate of two for a chunk of the nearly $900 million they have pledged to spend on the 2016 elections. How far will Bush go to win over the Kochs?

Paid for by American Bridge 21st Century Foundation