Jeb Bush: I trust Ben Carson

Former governor reacts to media accusations against GOP frontrunner

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," November 6, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Now a little bit more from my comments with Jeb Bush going back and forth on Fox Business Network on this whole attack on Carson, whether it was justified.

This is Jeb Bush from earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAVUTO: Ben Carson is making some news, as I`m sure your aware, Governor.

I would be remiss if I didn`t mention it. There`s a back-and-forth as to whether he lied about something that is in a number of his books, where he was accepted into West point on an ROTC scholarship. That turns out maybe not to be the case, and that Politico and others have reported that he admitted that that was not the case.

Now he`s come back to say, or his campaign staff has, that he never admitted any such thing, that the Politico story is, from team Carson, an outright lie.

If it`s true, though, that he fabricated that, do you think he is finished?

JEB BUSH, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I think the life story of Ben Carson is inspirational for all of us. And I believe them to be true.

So I`m not going to speculate about this. I admire the guy a lot. And, look, we`re going to all be vetted. I feel like I have been thoroughly vetted, to be honest with you. And that`s part of the process of running for president, but it ought to be done in an intellectually honest way and a thoughtful way.

And if he says that he didn`t do something, then I trust him. I believe him.

CAVUTO: But if he did?

BUSH: I trust him.

CAVUTO: So will you be surprised if it turns out this story was true?

BUSH: Yes, I will be very surprised, because I just believe he is a person of integrity and I admire him.

CAVUTO: And that is one of his key assets, as you know, Governor, that as far as trust is concern, and likability, he scores very high there, and this would be...

(CROSSTALK)

BUSH: Absolutely, for good reason.

CAVUTO: ... a tremendous blow to his -- so, now I`m wondering, if it is true -- and I know you don`t want to speculate, and you`re a gentleman about that -- but a number of people are saying, if it`s even remotely true-- and there are other things they`re going to check and misstatements they`re going to check -- the better part of valor would be for him to step out of the race.

What do you think?

BUSH: I trust him. I believe it. I don`t -- I don`t -- I don`t trust Politico. If it`s between Politico and Ben Carson, put me on the Ben Carson column, please.

CAVUTO: OK.

There`s a debate, I understand, coming up in a few days, Governor.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: That`s what I hear. Where are you going to be, Neil?

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: I don`t know. I think somewhere around Milwaukee.

Do you feel the pressure, and you have been asked this many times, that you have to be on your A-game, that you have to come out like a blazing fire? Do you feel more pressure in this debate than you have in others?

BUSH: Well, I just have to talk about the things that are important for our country to create sustained economic growth and to create a stronger America, and not feel compelled to focus exactly on how the question is asked.

No disrespect to the great questions that will be forthcoming. I want to have a conversation with the American people. And that`s what I`m going to focus on. I don`t feel pressure at all. I feel honored to be on the stage to be able to express my views about the most extraordinary country on the face of the earth.

CAVUTO: Then what did you think of when President Obama said, Governor, that if Republicans have problems with moderators at a debate, then who are they to start talking about dealing with Putin and what have you? I`m paraphrasing, but to say...

BUSH: Yes.

CAVUTO: ... that a lot of you guys, not you specifically, Governor, were acting like babies?

BUSH: Well, I`m glad he wasn`t talking about me, because I don`t feel like that the moderators are to be blamed for anything.

Look, he has got a failed foreign policy, first and foremost. And he can demonize with the best of them. The most telling thing, Neil, that I have seen in the last month was in the Democratic debate, when asked, Hillary Clinton said who are your enemies, she said, well, of course, the NRA, and I guess if I had to have another one, the Republican Party.

That is what she is saying, half of America is her enemy. And the president is really good at this, too, pushing people down to make himself look better. And the simple facts are that he is getting schooled by Vladimir Putin. It is embarrassing.

And he should be embarrassed personally, but more importantly for our country, our national security interests are being imperiled by a president that has no strategy to deal with one of the big, big national security risks that we face, which is the unraveling of the Middle East, and the allowance of Russia to establish a military presence after 40-plus years of not having one. That`s what he has to be held to account to.

CAVUTO: Governor, you have heard a little bit about your dad in a book that Jon Meacham is writing in which he criticizes Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and said that they essentially kind of pushed your brother in the wrong direction.

Again, I`m kind of oversimplifying it.

BUSH: Yes.

CAVUTO: How are things back at the home front?

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: What is going on?

BUSH: Well, I`m at a -- we`re -- there`s a wedding the week before Thanksgiving. I`m going to -- I`m going to ask. I think -- look, I know that my dad loves my brother, and my brother adores my dad, and...

CAVUTO: Well, is your brother hurt by what he said? Did he know this coming or did...

BUSH: No, I didn`t know about it. And I don`t think he knew. But it`s -- he is a big boy. Look, everybody that knows George W...

CAVUTO: Well, why do you think your dad said it? Why do you think your dad said it, Governor?

BUSH: I don`t know. I really -- to be honest with you, I haven`t read the context and how it`s said. I don`t think anybody has. The book hasn`t come out yet.

CAVUTO: No, you`re right. I`m just going from the quotes that are out there.

BUSH: So, it`s -- that`s a little dangerous to -- without reading it.

My guess is that he wanted to show his love for his son by saying that whatever mistakes were made weren`t my -- weren`t my brother`s. The simple fact is, my brother was the president of the United States. He was strong. Whatever -- whatever happened was under his watch. He accepts responsibility, the good and the bad.

And he was an extraordinary commander in chief with our -- when our country needed it. And I believe Dick Cheney did an extraordinary job as vice president and as secretary of defense under -- when my brother -- when my dad was president.

I don`t think there`s a conflict there at all.

CAVUTO: All right, so everyone is all getting along in the Bush family?

BUSH: At least I am.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: All right.

BUSH: I`m not picking -- I`m not taking sides. That`s for darned sure.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: That would be a no-win situation.

Governor, thank you very, very much. Very good having you.

BUSH: Thanks, Neil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAVUTO: I do wonder what that next family dinner is going to be like at maybe Kennebunkport or wherever they`re going to have it. All right.

END

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