(ConservativeHub.com) – The various scandals involving Hunter Biden have been well-documented by the media in recent years. As a result, they are etched in the minds of many Americans. For the most part, those problems didn’t directly involve his father, President Joe Biden. However, that gradually changed over time, and the latest controversy has landed squarely on the steps of the White House.
The Washington Post (WAPO) first broke the story on July 8, 2021. According to WAPO reporting, White House attorneys helped an auction house prepare a legal agreement between a New York art gallery owner and Hunter Biden that would conceal the identity of purchasers of the younger Biden’s paintings.
The goal was to remove any possibility of purchasers trying to curry favor with the Biden administration through their purchases. However, ethics experts pointed out several flaws with that reasoning, opening the door to an inquiry by House Republicans.
House Republicans Look Into Hunter Biden’s Art Auction
Walter Shaub, the Obama administration’s ethics head, posted multiple threads on his Twitter page discussing the White House’s ethical dilemma, and Joe Biden in particular. According to him, the agreement drafted by White House lawyers would prevent any meaningful oversight in the future if any questions arose regarding purchasers of Hunter’s paintings. (On a side note, Shaub later deleted those tweets for some unknown reason.)
On September 7, 2021, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, announced he wrote a letter to gallery owner Georges Bergès about his recent sale of Hunter Biden’s paintings. He specifically requested information and documents related to the extraordinary prices set by his gallery on Biden’s paintings.
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Ranking Member @RepJamesComer is investigating the sale of Hunter Biden’s artwork — which could earn President Biden’s son millions — and he has contacted the gallery owner to divulge details of the ethics deal he reached with the White House.https://t.co/LHDfnK6d0A
— Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) September 8, 2021
Comer explained the Committee previously requested information from the White House but also wanted any related documents in his possession. Of particular concern was the fact the asking price for Biden’s paintings exceeded the median annual income for American households. Prices reached levels as high as $500,000, a rate exceeding the cumulative earning level of many experienced artists over a decade.
Continuing, Comer cited a New York art advisor who noted the asking prices for Hunter Biden’s paintings were “insulting” to the art world considering the fact Biden was an untrained celebrity artist who hadn’t paid his dues. Moreover, President Biden himself stated he would be surprised if Hunter’s paintings could take in $10.
Rep. Comer concluded his letter with a request for any correspondence between Bergès and his gallery and the White House, all contracts and agreements, and a list of purchasers of Hunter Biden’s artwork.
Walter Shaub concluded in one of his tweets that it appears the White House “tried to make sure we will never know” who paid “outrageous sums” for Hunter’s artwork. As a result, there is no way to monitor whether or not they also purchased government access.
Copyright 2021, ConservativeHub.com
