Rumored GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush refused to admit to CBS anchor Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation Sunday that he is, in fact, planning on running for president.
Schieffer, who with this weekend’s episode finished his career as host of the program, specifically quizzed Bush on the issue that he might be violating campaign laws by raising money and coordinating with super PACs in an obvious — though not yet official — bid for the White House.
“It’s pretty obvious that you’re running for president,” said Schieffer in the interview, which was taped Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee. “You’re going around the country, you’re raising huge amounts of money for your super PAC in addition to making all the traditional campaign stops everywhere.”
The former Florida governor insisted that he is not breaking the law as he has not yet made the decision to run for president.
“I’m nearing the end of this journey of traveling and listening to people and … trying to get a sense of whether my candidacy would be viable or not,” explained Bush.
“Should I be a candidate — and that will be in the relatively near future whether that decision will be made — there will be no coordination at all with any super PAC,” he added.
Unsurprisingly, Schieffer was not convinced.
“You’re not telling me that there is a possibility you may not run?” the CBS anchor pressed.
“Look, I hope I run, to be honest with you,” responded Bush. “I’d like to run, but I haven’t made the decision.”
“What would have to happen between now and then to convince you not to run?” followed Schieffer.
“Who knows, who knows. I’ve learned not to answer a lot of hypothetical questions,” Bush chuckled in obvious reference to his fumbling of the now-popular Iraq War hypothetical question he received from Fox News’ Megyn Kelly weeks ago.
“You’re probably going to run?” Schieffer tried, to which Bush meticulously responded, “I hope so. I hope I’m a candidate in the near future.”
Clearly, the likely presidential candidate has learned from his flub earlier this month. In a conversation with reporters in Reno, Nevada, Bush appeared to accidentally announce his candidacy before abruptly walking it back.
“I’m running for president in 2016, and the focus is going to be about how we — if I run — create high-sustained economic growth,” Bush said.
The politician is expected to make his bid for the White House official as early as mid-June.
