Hunter Biden, the son of Democrat President Joe Biden, is reportedly expected to meet with prospective buyers of his high-priced artwork, a development which comes after the White House claimed that the identities of the buyers would be kept a secret.
“The shows, a small, private affair in Los Angeles and a larger exhibition in New York City will give Biden an opportunity to interact with potential buyers of his paintings, which the gallery expects to sell for as much as $500,000,” CBS News reported. “Asked whether Hunter Biden would attend both events, Georges Berges Gallery spokeswoman Robin Davis said, ‘Oh yes. With pleasure. He’s looking forward to it. It is like someone debuting in the world. And of course, he will be there.'”
The report comes after the Biden administration claimed that the identities of buyers would be kept a secret from Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, the administration, and the American people. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki previously said that keeping the identities of the buyers a secret, a deal that the White House reportedly help craft, provided “quite a level” of protection and “transparency.”
“A source familiar with the matter told CBS News Hunter Biden will not discuss potential purchases, prices, or anything related to the selling of artwork,” the report added. “But that raises the question: how would the public ever know what was discussed? There is no known enforcement mechanism or disclosure requirement embedded in the ethics deal. Conversations with potential buyers at the showings would almost certainly stay private.”
Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics under President Obama, blasted the idea that Hunter Biden would meet with prospective buyers of his artwork, which could go as high as $500,000.
“Is Hunter Biden going to walk around the art show with a blindfold on?” said Shaub. “It just goes to show you the focus isn’t on government ethics. It’s just showing the child of a president can cash in on the presidency.”
Shaub has repeatedly slammed the administration over the way that it is handling the situation involving Hunter Biden, who is currently under federal criminal investigation over matters related to taxes and his foreign business dealings.
“Imagine you’re a Kremlin official looking for a way to embarrass the U.S. and one day you read that the White House negotiated with a private art dealer to keep secret the names of buyers who pay outrageous sums at an upcoming auction for artwork by the president’s lawyer son,” Shaub wrote on Twitter. “Imagine you’re the White House official who came up with the idea to outsource government ethics management to an art dealer, and you suddenly realize Russian oligarchs like art too.”
“Biden should beg his son to stop this art sale, bringing all the pressure a father can bring to bear on a son,” Shaub added. “If that fails, he should insist on disclosure of the buyers and commit to publicly releasing all records of any meeting between any government official and any of them.”
“Imagine being a govt official who pipes up at a meeting to say ‘darkness is the best disinfectant,’” Shaub said. “Imagine adding ‘let’s outsource secret-keepin’ to someone reputable like an art dealer—and art-buyin’ randos.’ Imagine the chutzpah it takes to sell that mess as an ethics ‘win.’”