As part of their broadening probe into the activities of President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, Republican members of the House of Representatives demanded information on Wednesday about the sales of the artist’s artwork.
This was an early step in their investigation.
Letters and Subpoenas
A demand that Republican members made earlier while in the minority to the junior Mr. Biden’s art collector, Georges Bergès, was reissued in a letter by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
The Republicans in the House of Representatives stated Mr. Bergès had not answered previous requests; however, now that they possess the majority, their most recent demand could hold more sway and be a precursor to a federal investigation.
This would increase the amount of pressure placed on the New York City art dealer to comply with the investigation.
House Republicans have requested an interview with Hunter Biden’s art dealer, a step in their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings https://t.co/QkuhQX4Vug
— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) January 25, 2023
Gallery 112 in New York City’s SoHo has shown paintings by Hunter Biden on many occasions, including two solo shows in 2021 and 2022.
The White House claimed in 2021 that measures had been taken to stop buyers from using the artwork as a means of gaining access to the administration by concealing their names and rejecting suspiciously high offers.
Ethical experts at the time cautioned the program might backfire because of the lack of information about the buyers.
The United States Department of the Treasury issued a warning that foreign persons may utilize high-value art transactions, which include a “high degree of secrecy and confidentiality,” to evade U.S. economic sanctions and commit fraud.
In 2021, Bergès estimated that Hunter Biden’s artwork might fetch $75,000 to $500,000.
Rep. James Comer, chairman of the Oversight Committee, claims he wrote to Bergès in 2021, demanding details on the sale of artwork by Hunter Biden, but received no reply.
Rep. James Comer, new chairman of the House Oversight Committee, asked for a transcribed interview with Georges Bergès, the art dealer who has been showcasing Hunter Biden’s work.https://t.co/GTJqEmxRCz
— Ground News (@Ground_app) January 26, 2023
Records
The oversight chairman asked for records showing who got to attend Biden’s art exhibitions and who bought his work, as well as correspondence between both the Bergès display and the White House or even Hunter Biden.
He wanted records on quality parameters for Biden’s art, any ethical codes created in partnership with the White House, and more. It further stipulated that a transcript of an interview with Bergès be delivered by February 15, 2023.
Since Republicans assumed control of the House, this is the second public update in the oversight committee’s inquiry into Hunter Biden; the letter to Bergès is the first.
Since the Biden family’s business interests have long been a subject of House Oversight Republican attention, in early January, Comer wrote to the Treasury Department requesting details on any suspicious activity reports filed by banks in this regard.
Although law enforcement agencies get millions of reports yearly from financial institutions, only a fraction of those reports result in actual investigations.
Moreover, he wrote many letters to former top Twitter employees in an effort to learn more about the company’s actions around the censoring of a New York Post story that disclosed material taken from a hard disk drive that belonged to Hunter Biden.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
