US: Republican Jeb Bush hires gay communications director
Rumoured Republican Presidential nominee Jeb Bush has hired an openly gay senior adviser.
Mr Bush, the brother of George W Bush and former Governor of Florida, is thought to be strongly considering a run for President in 2016.
He has today appointed Tim Miller to his Political Action Committee – often seen as a precursor to a formal campaign, which is yet to be announced.
Mr Miller co-founded America Rising, a Republican group that specialises in researching and formulating attacks on Democratic opponents.
One of his group’s key targets is rumoured Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, meaning Mr Miller will be perfectly placed in the event of a face-off between the pair.
It is thought that Mr Miller, who is openly gay, is in line to become the communications director for Mr Bush’s campaign.
Confirming the announcement, Mr Miller tweeted: “Thanks yall. Thrilled and honored to work for a great person with the right message.
“America Rising PAC is in great hands with [new executive director] @ColinTReed. He’ll give Hillary plenty of pugilism.”
Unlike a number of other Republican contenders, Mr Bush has largely stayed out of the fight on same-sex marriage, despite branding it a “distraction” in 2012.
He recently called for “respect” to people “on all sides” of the marriage debate.
