Jeb Bush is set to name finance expert Justin Muzinich as policy director of an increasingly likely 2016 presidential campaign, writes Eliana Johnson of the National Review.
Muzinich comes from the finance industry, having worked first at the Morgan Stanley mergers and acquisitions division, and later at EMS Capital. Currently, he serves as vice-chair of New York-based investment firm Muzinich & Co.
With a background in hedge funds, critics question whether the addition of Muzinich to Bush’s team will do anything to counter the narrative that the former governor represents middle-class values.
Muzinich, with an MBA from Harvard and law degree from Yale, has a history of endorsing novel policy recommendations, such as cutting foreign aid and replacing it with tax credits to companies that expand internationally.
He also advocates expanding the power of the Federal Reserve, something opposed by many in the Republican Party.
Bush, in the lead up to a 2016 White House run, is reaching out beyond the Beltway for other unconventional hires, reports the Review. One example is David Kochel, former Iowa strategist for Mitt Romney, who was brought on to serve as campaign manager. Kochel is a solid GOP operative, but relatively unknown in D.C. political circles.
Adding names like Muzinich, an outsider with financial authority, and Kochel, only add to the optics that Bush is running a decidedly “outsider” campaign.
