Bush Earned Over $9M From Business, Speaking Gigs
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush got more than $9 million in the last 17 months for speaking gigs among other business interests, according to newly released financial records.
The former Florida governor listed assets worth between $13 million and $34 million, much of it based on a trove of investments that include mutual funds, securities, stocks and bonds. He also owns a variety of real estate interests stretching from condominiums in Miami to retail developments in Marseille, France, and an office development in Mumbai, India.
Bush reported more than $1.8 million in speaking fees since the beginning of 2014. That's an average of just over $42,000 for each speech.
His single largest source of income was Jeb Bush & Associates, which collected his speaking fees and performs strategy and consulting work. Bush says he no longer owns that firm, but the entity declared $7.1 million in income.
In addition to that income, Bush also reported substantial financial assets, including stock funds and loans provided through Lending Club, an online peer-to-peer lending service.
One of his investments, through a business entity called Bonefish Grande LLC, is in DocuSign Inc., an increasingly valuable Internet cloud platform for electronically signing legal and other documents. Bush's stake is worth between $250,000 and $500,000 but generated no partnership income in either 2014 or 2015, he reported.
Bush had already released decades of his personal tax returns, including one for 2013 in which he earned $7.3 million and paid $2.9 million in federal income taxes. The new disclosure, filed with the Federal Election Commission, lists board of director roles or affiliations in 26 companies and foundations, including the presidential library of his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
The filings reveal that Bush has benefited from business relationships with some of the same people who now back his campaign. Bush reported earning an estimated $121,889 from Clinical Medical Services, Inc., a Puerto Rican home health care services company. Raul Rodriguez, president and chairman of the company, appeared on a list released last week of million-dollar donors to the super PAC supporting Bush.
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