Henry Kissinger Chooses Jeb Bush: Sources

With support from NY and NJ finance bigs, Bush tightens the screws in Christie's backyard

According to sources, Jeb Bush has won the “Henry Kissinger sweepstakes,” earning the former Secretary of State’s support as candidates vie to enhance their foreign policy credentials—and their warchests. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)


On Wednesday night, several dozen people with the means to attend an event so pricey its invitation doesn’t list an expected contribution will gather in the Park Avenue apartment of Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis to meet Jeb Bush and add to the quickly filling coffers of Right to Rise, the PAC set up to aid Mr. Bush’s presidential ambitions. The affair will be co-chaired by Mr. Kravis’ colleagues at KKR, including Ken Mehlman, who managed George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign and later became chairman of the Republican National Committee.

This is the second event Mr. Kravis, a coveted GOP donor who leads the storied leveraged buyout firm that bears his name, has hosted for Mr. Bush in a month. On the afternoon of January 8th, KKR hosted an event at its offices where the still undeclared candidate met with 80 supporters. The night before, Mr. Bush traveled to Greenwich, where an even larger crowd of 130 greeted the former Florida governor.

It’s no secret that Jeb Bush has been moving aggressively to vacuum up cash and secure support. These three events are part of that effort and the Observer’s cover story last week shared for the first time names of more than a dozen New Jersey and New York finance heavyweights who attended a fourth event – a January 8th dinner hosted by New Jersey lawyer and former RNC finance chief Larry Bathgate.

But it’s an event scheduled to take place this Thursday afternoon, February 12th, that might send the clearest signal yet of Jeb Bush’s dominance of the Republican establishment. According to two sources, including one inside the Bush organization, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will be the star attraction at a lunch hosted by Right to Rise at which Mr. Bush will also appear.

In addition to bolstering Mr. Bush’s momentum, his strong push into the tri-state area will likely add to a developing narrative that Northeast Republicans are deserting New Jersey Governor Chris Christie just as he gears up to launch his own presidential bid.

According to Mr. Bathgate, in addition to the dozen New Jersey names detailed in the Observer’s article as having joined him for the Bush dinner, Cliff Sobel will now be aiding his efforts on behalf of electing Jeb Bush president, which will surely raise New Jersey eyebrows.

Mr. Sobel, who served as ambassador to The Netherlands and then to Brazil during the administration of George W. Bush, is one of the most sought-after fundraisers in New Jersey’s well-moneyed Republican circles, as reflected by those plum overseas assignments.

Reached by phone in England, where he was later having dinner with Prime Minister David Cameron, Mr. Bathgate discussed with the Observer the strength of the New Jersey coalition he’s assembling in support of Mr. Bush. “Cliff was away for my thing but Cliff promised to do his own thing. This is not just Larry and Cliff. There’s a ton of support.”

The trio of Mr. Sobel, a former ambassador to two sweet postings; Mr. Bathgate, a former RNC Finance Chairman; and Lew Eisenberg, the current RNC Finance Chairman, forms the “Big Three” of New Jersey’s Republican rainmakers. With Mr. Bathgate having already committed to Jeb Bush, the addition of Mr. Sobel represents a major coup for Mr. Bush’s campaign as it quickly takes shape. The Observer can also now report, for the first time, that Mr. Eisenberg attended the January 8th fundraiser for Mr. Bush held at KKR, where he was working until leaving a week later to accept the position at the RNC.

(Reached briefly on the phone in Brazil as he entered a dinner, Mr. Sobel could not free himself to discuss at the time. He was “with people.” He later emailed to say, “I will be in Brazil until the end of the week with a totally full agenda” but promised to get in touch. If and when he does, this story will be updated to include his perspective.)

For Mr. Christie, the defection of yet another Garden Stater is a serious setback. It also represents a further unwinding of the vice grip that Mr. Christie once exerted over his home state party. As recently as 2012, while Mr. Christie was deciding which GOP candidate to support for president, not a single player of weight was willing to defy the governor. The entire state party withheld its endorsement until the governor made his choice and then lined up behind him in support of Mitt Romney. That makes this recent show of independence all the more striking, especially considering the candidate that many are not choosing is the governor himself.

[E, RALA]

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By Ken Kurson | 02/10/15 8:35am