Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he "would never" violate campaign finance laws, as some watchdog groups have recently alleged.
"No, of course not. I would never do that," Bush told host Bob Schieffer when asked if he thinks he might be violating the law by using his Right to Rise super PAC to raise money for his as-of-yet undeclared 2016 presidential campaign. "And I'm nearing the end of this journey of traveling and listening to people, garnering, trying to get a sense of whether my candidacy would be viable or not. We're going to completely adhere to the law, for sure."
"Look, politics is politics. There's always people that are going to be carping on the sidelines. And should I be a candidate - and that will be in the relatively near future, where that decision will be made - there'll be no coordination at all with any super-PAC," he added.
Last week, two campaign finance watchdog groups, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, accused Bush of violating campaign laws by using his super PAC to raise funds while "actively running for president," and asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Bush is improperly coordinating his political activities, The Washington Post reported.
It's illegal for a candidate to coordinate with an independent organization, but the surge of outside spending resulting from the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision -- which allowed corporations and unions to create super PACs that can independently spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns -- has blurred the boundaries between campaigns and their wealthy allies.
Bush told Schieffer that he still hasn't decided whether he's going to run for president. "I hope, I hope I run, to be honest with you," he said. "I'd like to run, but I haven't made the decision," adding that an announcement on his presidential plans can be expected "soon, for sure."
Schieffer went on to ask Bush if he thinks the legacy of his brother, former President George W. Bush, could derail his bid for the White House.
"No, I don't," he said. "This is hard for me, to be honest with you, to - I have to do the Heisman on my brother that I love. This is not something I'm comfortable doing. But I'm my own person. I have my own life experience. And I will be successful, if I'm a candidate, when I share my heart and talk about what I have done as governor of the state where I cut taxes, reduced the state government work force by 11 percent, moved the state to AAA bond rating."
Bush added later: "As I tell that story, people will begin to say, yes, look, he's a Bush, that's fine. But I'm for him because he has ideas that will help me rise up. And so, I don't - my brother's not going to be a problem at all. I seek out his advice. I love him dearly. I've learned from his successes and his mistakes."
