Hunter Biden’s sales of artwork may be an avenue for procuring political influence from President Joe Biden, some House Republicans warned while launching a probe on Wednesday into what they described as “Biden family’s efforts to profit from proximity to the White House.”
In a statement titled “Oversight Republicans Raise Concerns About Biden Family Profiting Off White House,” 12 Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform requested information from the president’s counsel and the chief administrator of the federal government’s chief archivist.
The Republican lawmakers wrote:
Reports regarding President Biden’s family members attempting to profit from their proximity to the White House have been disturbing and recurring. Unfortunately, these reports of President Biden using his former official positions of public trust to swell the coffers of his family members are widespread, and any hope the pattern of family self-dealing would finally stop when he assumed the presidency has been dashed,” wrote Ranking Member Comer and the Republican lawmakers.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), ranking member on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeted, “The Biden family is treating the White House as their own personal cash cow. Who would pay 500K for Hunter’s art if his last name wasn’t Biden?”:
The Republicans’ statement included a request for the following communications and documents:
- Communications and documents surrounding two international trips from the Obama-Biden Administration in which Biden family members and associates seemingly took advantage of a connection to the Oval Office;
- A list of all past and ongoing foreign business interests and relations for Biden family members;
- All documents and communications regarding Hunter Biden’s artwork;
- All Biden family members’ appearance in advertisements, public speaking, or in any nature to solicit business/investments/awareness; and
- All policies and procedures the White House has to prevent the Biden family from profiting off the presidency.
“Prices [for Hunter Biden’s artwork] range from $75,000 for works on paper to $500,000 for large-scale paintings,” according to the Georges Bergès Gallery, which represents the president’s second son, revealed.
Buyers of Hunter Biden’s art will remain anonymous.
Among other sources, the Republicans cited a 2018 report from Peter Schweizer’s examination of a private equity firm run by Hunter Biden and John Kerry’s stepson, Christopher Heinz.
In a letter to Dana Remus, counsel to the president, Republicans wrote:
Reports regarding President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s family members attempting to profit from their proximity to the White House have been disturbing and recurring. Unfortunately, these reports of President Biden using his former official positions of public trust to swell the coffers of his family members are widespread, and any hope the pattern of family self-dealing would finally stop when he assumed the presidency has been dashed.
Republicans considered if the anonymity of buyers of Hunter Biden’s paintings allows for “money laundering, “fraud,” “other illicit activities,” or other forms of monetizing Joe Biden’s political influence.
In January, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “It’s the White House’s policy that the president’s name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities to suggest or in any way, in any way they could reasonably be understood to imply his endorsement or support.”
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