Why Are Jeb Bush’s Emails a Big Deal?

Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush “plans to release 250,000 emails from his time as Florida governor, part of an e-book that he is writing as he mulls taking the plunge on a 2016 presidential bid”.

Given that he was employed by and on the public dime at the time, one might ask, why is this being orchestrated like a big deal? Shouldn’t the public be entitled to view the correspondence of its elected officials as a matter of course? 

There has been intense speculation that Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H. W. Bush, may be gearing up to enter the White House race as a Republican candidate.

In a television interview that aired on Sunday, Bush said releasing the emails showed his commitment to transparency in public service.

“I’ll let people make up their mind,” he said in the interview with WPLG Local 10 News, an ABC affiliate.

“There’s some funny ones. There’s some sad ones. There’s some serious ones,” added Bush, who was governor of Florida from 1999-2007. The emails will be released early next year.

If this is about transparency, the prudent thing to do would seem to be just release them, as opposed to possibly framing them within a document undoubtedly geared as part of a political push to foster interest and generate support for any prospective run for higher office in 2016.