POLITICS ’88 : CAMPAIGN ’88 : ‘No Plans’ to Manage Bush Bid, Baker Says

Treasury Secretary James A. Baker III, responding to mounting press speculation, said Friday that he had “no plans” to quit his post to manage Vice President George Bush’s presidential election campaign.

“I have no plans to leave. For now, my job is here at the Treasury Department, and this is where I expect to stay,” Baker said at a taping of the ABC news program “Business World.” ABC released a transcript of the interview, which is to be broadcast Sunday.

Baker was careful not to rule out managing Bush’s bid for the presidency, a role he played in 1980 when Bush lost the Republican nomination to Ronald Reagan.

“I don’t have a crystal ball that looks way, way out into the future. For now, my plans are to stay right here,” said Baker, who has been a close friend of Bush for 25 years.

His remarks followed several reports this week quoting unnamed Administration sources as saying that former New Jersey Sen. Nicholas Brady was the leading candidate for Treasury secretary if Baker quit.

Brady, who is another close friend of Bush, headed a presidential panel that investigated the Oct. 19 stock market crash. He is chairman of the Wall Street investment bank Dillon Read.