Failure to Disclose Ties
Texas Border Business
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush failed to disclose his ties to 11 companies in recent filings to the Texas Ethics Commission, which is required by state law. One of these companies was Arabella Exploration, a Cayman Islands-based oil and gas firm that did business with a state fund he helps oversee, according to records obtained by The Texas Tribune.
The Tribune’s Jay Root reports that Bush was placed on Arabella’s board in January 2014; he was paid $43,000 and granted stock options that were valued at over $100,000. The School Land Board, which he chairs, approved a lease agreement with the firm for oil and gas exploration in West Texas a few months after he was elected as land commissioner. Bush had been off the Arabella board for a year when the state board entered into the agreement.
Omissions. State politicians are required to provide details of their personal finances, including business dealings and corporate board service, every year to the Ethics Commission so voters can see if their elected officials have any conflicts of interest. But Bush’s 2015 state disclosure forms did not mention Arabella. His more recent disclosures also don’t mention 10 other companies in which he has a stake, including some that are focused on the oil and gas business. Read more here: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/12/16/george-p-bush-failed-disclose-financial-interests-11-companies/?+Texas+Tribune+Master
