House Republicans have now targeted Hunter Biden’s art sales, making another request to his art dealer for a list of buyers of the works.
The House Oversight Committee also asked for details on how the White House worked out the agreement with art dealer Georges Bergès to keep the list of buyers anonymous to both the White House and the public.
Kentucky Oversight Chairman James Comer said Bergès did not respond to previous requests for information about the sales in the previous Congress, but that he expected a response this time given the Republican majority and the threat of a subpoena.
“Although Hunter Biden was an inexperienced artist, he received exorbitant amounts of money for the sale of his artworks, the identities of the buyers remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record holder of these lucrative transactions,” Comer wrote to Bergès.
House Republicans, led by Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), are now targeting Hunter Biden’s art sales and renewing a request for his art dealer to turn over a list of the works’ buyers
The chairman said that Hunter Biden has held another exhibition at his SoHo art gallery since the last Republican request.
In December, the president’s legally embattled son attended the Manhattan exhibit for his haiku series, which featured paintings with colorful floral and tree-like designs. Bergès added that the new paintings all have haikus on the back, hence the gallery’s name.
One such haiku was:
Atoms blossom in my chest
The whole room is filled, it’s full
I can see all colors
The House Oversight Committee also asked for details on how the White House worked out the agreement with leftist art dealer Georges Bergès to keep the list of buyers anonymous to both the White House and the public.
“Although Hunter Biden was an inexperienced artist, he received exorbitant amounts of money for the sale of his artwork, the identities of the buyers remain unknown, and you appear to be the sole record holder of these lucrative transactions,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky. ) wrote to Bergès
Berges is pictured at the opening of Hunter Biden’s new show “Haiku” at the Georges Berges Gallery in Soho in New York City
According to the Daily Beast, Hunter’s latest artwork cost between $55,000 and $225,000.
Amid criticism of the art sales, the White House Office has reportedly devised a plan to prevent Hunter or anyone in the Biden administration from learning the identities of the buyers of his works.
Bergès was instructed to keep the identities of the buyers to itself and to reject offers that appeared suspiciously high.
Comer highlighted the possibility of “foreign buyers” making purchases, requested all communications and documents related to the matter and urged Bergès to appear for a transcribed interview by February 15.
Berges said the latest paintings are a form of self-reflection for the president’s son as he is clouded by controversies surrounding his laptop and finances.
“I think this series is meditative and contemplative, and I think it reflects who he is in the moment,” Berges added.
Joe Biden (left) poses for a selfie with his son Hunter Biden (right).
During his previous gallery last year, Biden told Artnet, “I don’t paint for emotions or feelings, both of which I think are very ephemeral.
“For me, painting is much more about bringing out what I believe to be the universal truth… the universal truth is that everything is connected and that there is something that goes way beyond our five senses and that connects us Everyone.”
This comes amid an ongoing investigation into Hunter’s finances and allegations of illegal dealings in China and Ukraine, which remain in the public eye.
During a similar gallery exhibition last year, two former White House ethics chiefs warned that buyers could try to influence the president by buying his son’s work for inflated sums.
“I just think it’s absolutely appalling,” White House ethics chief Walter Shaub said on Law & Crime’s Objections podcast in August.
Richard Painter, George W. Bush’s chief ethics officer, told Fox: “It will be very clear who is buying Hunter Biden’s art.
“The question is, will the American people know? The White House should insist on full transparency.”