Mittens in the backfield..

Romney alum rebuts Bush whispers: Rubio passed our vetting

By Alex Isenstadt

A longtime top aide to Mitt Romney is pushing back against charges from the Jeb Bush campaign that Romney came across unflattering information about Marco Rubio when he was vetted for the VP slot in 2012.

On Thursday evening, U.S. News published a 112-page document that the Bush campaign provided to donors at a retreat earlier this month in Houston. The document highlights the campaign’s plans to target Rubio, calling him a “risky bet.” At one point, the document says that "Those who have looked into Marco's background in the past have been concerned with what they have found."

U.S. News, citing an anonymous Bush aide, said the reference was to “concerns Mitt Romney's team unearthed when they vetted Rubio for vice president in 2012.” Rubio was among those considered for the VP slot, which ultimately went to now-House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Yet, in an email to POLITICO, Beth Myers, a longtime Romney political adviser who in 2012 oversaw his vice presidential search, pushed back on the assertion.

“As the senior Romney advisor who handled VP vetting and had access to all the vetting documents, I can say that Senator Rubio 'passed' our vetting and we found nothing that disqualified him from serving as VP," wrote Myers, who counts herself a Bush supporter. “The Bush aide referred to in this article is simply wrong.”

Spokespersons for Bush did not respond to a request for comment.