House Republicans are closely examining the sales of artwork by President Biden’s son, Hunter, at the Georges Bergès Gallery. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) has written a letter to the gallery owner, Georges Bergès, requesting information on the purchasers of the art and the business dealings between Hunter Biden and the gallery owner.
The younger Biden has been showcasing his works at the gallery, and the substantial sums he has received for his pieces have fueled Republican efforts to shed light on the matter. In addition, the purchasers of Biden’s art have remained anonymous, adding an element of mystery to the gallery, which has only fueled Republican efforts to investigate further.
House GOP presses gallery owner on Hunter Biden art sales https://t.co/lhmxEcitrM via @JustTheNews
— Norman Firebaugh (@FirebaughNorman) March 14, 2023
The letter from Comer to Bergès’s attorney, William Pittard, highlights the purchase prices of the artworks and the ethical concerns surrounding the sales. The prices of the artwork reportedly range between $75,000 and $500,000. Even the Obama-era head of the Office of Government Ethics, Mr. Walter Shaub, raised these ethics issues publicly.
The letter further alleges that “instead of fostering transparency, Mr. Bergès and Mr. Biden struck an opaque arrangement that demands congressional oversight.” The committee reviews legislative solutions addressing the ethics and money laundering issues raised by specific high-end art deals. Information from Bergès is critical to their investigation.
The committee has set a deadline of March 27 for the gallery owner to provide documentation on his communications with Biden and the White House and records of the sales of the artworks. They further seek an interview to be held by April 3.
This is the latest in a string of information requests the Oversight chair has dispatched as part of a broader GOP effort to investigate the Biden family’s business dealings and the White House. Republicans have long raised concerns over the venture, pointing to the substantial sums Hunter Biden receives for his artwork as suspect.
The art sales have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and ethics violations. In addition, critics have suggested that the buyers’ anonymity could allow foreign actors to use the purchases to influence the Biden administration.
Despite assurances from the White House that the president and his son would not discuss the artwork sales, the lack of transparency surrounding the matter has only fueled Republican efforts to investigate further.