In a significant development, two House committees have held Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, in contempt of Congress. The move comes as Hunter’s art dealer, Georges Bergès, testified before the House Oversight Committee, revealing crucial information about Hunter’s art sales and contradicting the White House’s ethics plan.
Bergès, the owner of the Georges Bergès Art Gallery in Manhattan, disclosed that Hunter Biden was aware that his lawyer, Kevin Morris, referred to as his “sugar brother,” was the top buyer of his paintings. This revelation directly contradicts the White House’s claim that an ethics pact was in place to conceal the identities of the buyers. The agreement, according to a report by The Washington Post, aimed to keep purchases confidential to avoid potential ethical issues.
During the closed-door deposition, Bergès further revealed that Hunter Biden was aware of approximately 70% of the buyers of his artwork. The most lucrative purchase, worth $875,000, was made by Morris in January 2023. Bergès testified that Morris only paid a 40% commission on this transaction, and he had collaborated with Hunter to determine the financial implications, despite never having done an art deal like this before.
Another buyer mentioned by Bergès was Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, who spent $42,000 on Hunter’s artwork in February 2021 before being appointed by President Biden to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad in July. Naftali then made an additional purchase worth $52,000 in December 2022. Naftali has denied any impropriety in her purchases, stating that they were not intended to gain favor with the president.
House Republicans have launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, accusing him of using his position for personal enrichment. They suspect that Hunter’s art career, which began recently, may have resulted in conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, called the ethics agreement a “sham” and criticized the Biden administration for misleading the public.
The controversy surrounding Hunter Biden’s art deals has also drawn criticism from Walter Shaub, a former ethics chief in the Obama administration. Shaub described the arrangement as a “perfect mechanism for funneling bribes” and expressed disappointment over the lack of transparency.
The White House has yet to comment on the matter, and digital has reached out to both the White House and Georges Bergès for clarification. As this story develops, the American public awaits further updates on the potential implications of Hunter Biden’s art sales and its impact on government ethics.
