New York ? Republican Rudy Giuliani has assembled a group of high-powered business executives, including billionaire Texas oil mogul T. Boone Pickens, to raise money as the former New York City mayor weighs a full-blown presidential bid.

Giuliani headlined a meeting of the finance committee Wednesday in New York. The group will be chaired by Roy Bailey, a former finance chairman for the Texas Republican Party and a founding member of Giuliani Partners, the former mayor’s consulting firm.

“It’s a group of very committed people who hope the mayor’s exploratory committee leads to other things,” Bailey said.

Among the most notable members of the group is Pickens, a longtime contributor to President Bush and other Republican candidates. In 2004, Pickens donated more than $4 million to GOP causes, including $3 million to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that made unsubstantiated allegations about Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s military record.

Other members of Giuliani’s finance committee include Barry Wynn, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and finance chairman of Bush’s re-election campaign.

Another committee member is Tom Hicks, a Dallas billionaire and owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Hicks organized the investment group that purchased the Rangers in 1998 from a partnership that included Bush.