White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated Friday that Hunter Biden “has the right to pursue an artistic career” by selling “artwork” to an anonymous buyer for as much as $500,000, despite concerns that Hunter Biden is still invested in “CCP [Chinese Communist Party]-linked firms.”
“I can tell you that after careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards,” Psaki stated. “He has the right to pursue an artistic career just like any child of the president has the right to pursue a career.”
“All interactions regarding the selling of art and the setting of prices will be handled by professional gallerists, adhering to the highest industry standards,” Psaki insisted. “And any offer out of the normal course will be rejected out of hand and the gallerists will not share information about buyers or prospective buyers, including with Hunter Biden or the administration.”
Breitbart News reported that Joe Biden’s “child” is working with Soho art dealer Georges Bergès, who has links to China himself:
Bergès is holding an art exhibition in the fall, where Hunter’s art is expected to sell anywhere from $75,000-$500,000. The entire venture has prompted ethics concerns, particularly given Hunter’s past work as his father served as vice president — striking deals with Chinese officials and raking in tens of thousands of dollars per month serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian oligarch-owned oil and gas company, despite having no experience in the energy sector. His father would later brag about threatening to withhold aid from Ukraine unless officials fired the prosecutor conducting a corruption investigation into Burisma.
But instead of making the transactions more transparent and open, the White House is hoping to strike a deal to make buyers of Hunter Biden’s artwork, which is expected to sell for up to half a million dollars, anonymous.
According to a Washington Post article on Thursday, Bergès would set the prices for the artwork and withhold “all records, including potential bidders and final buyers.”
“The owner, Georges Bergès, has also agreed to reject any offer that he deems suspicious or that comes in over the asking price, according to people familiar with the agreement,” the Post explained.
Breitbart News senior contributor and Profiles in Corruption author Peter Schweizer designated the proposal as an utterly “absurd” solution.
“The only way to address these issues is with greater transparency–not less,” he told Breitbart News. “Their proposed solution is greater secrecy, not transparency. And they are essentially saying ‘Trust Us.’ Joe and Hunter Biden’s track record on such matters gives us no reason to trust them.”
Breitbart News also reported that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) declared there are some “tough” ethical questions concerning Hunter Biden, who is “still investing in CCP [Chinese Communist Party]-linked firms,” as he is expected to sell his artwork for up to half a million dollars to “anonymous” buyers.
“Some very tough ethical questions about whether the president’s son, who is still investing in CCP-linked firms, should take $500,000 in payment (bribes) for his ‘artwork,’” Cotton tweeted.
Though Joe Biden has stayed quiet during his son’s new scandalous venture, Hunter told Artnet, “My dad loves everything that I do, and so I’ll leave it at that.”
Meanwhile, money laundering has been identified as an issue in the art world, the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations reported last year.
“Secrecy, anonymity, and a lack of regulation create an environment ripe for laundering money and evading sanctions,” the committee explained. “Given the intrinsic secrecy of the art industry, it is clear that change is needed in this multi-billion dollar industry.”
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