Once upon a time, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to put up a wall between his administration and private family business dealings. From Politico in 2019:
“I have never discussed, with my son or my brother or with anyone else, anything having to do with their businesses. Period,” he said. “And what I will do is the same thing we did in our administration. There will be an absolute wall between personal and private [business interests] and the government. There wasn’t any hint of scandal at all when we were there. And I’m going to propose the same kind of strict, strict rules. That’s why I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else — even distant family — about their business interests. Period.”
Yeah, this doesn’t just apply to Ukraine. It now applies to Hunter Biden’s “art” at a gallery.
By the way, you know the easiest way to launder money? Art.
Biden’s White House had promised over and over that when a NYC art gallery displayed Hunter’s “art” the first son’s team “had a process for carefully vetting buyers, and that their identities were known only to the gallery, and not to Hunter Biden himself.”
Business Insider dropped this bombshell on Monday:
Hunter Biden did in fact learn the identity of two buyers, according to three people directly familiar with Hunter Biden’s own account of his art career. And one of those buyers is indeed someone who got a favor from the Biden White House. The timing of their purchase, however, is unknown.That buyer, Insider can reveal, is Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, a Los Angeles real estate investor and philanthropist. Hirsh Naftali is influential in California Democratic circles and is a significant Democratic donor who has given $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year. In 2022, she hosted a fundraiser headlined by Vice President Kamala Harris.
What happened after Hunter’s first show? Well, this:
In July 2022, eight months after Hunter Biden’s first art opening, Joe Biden announced Hirsh Naftali’s appointment to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. It is unclear whether Hirsh’s purchase of Hunter Biden’s artwork occurred before or after that appointment. Membership on the commission is an unpaid position that is often filled by campaign donors, family members, and political allies — the same crowd that often winds up with US ambassadorial appointments. Hirsh Naftali’s fundraising activities mark her as the kind of well-connected donor who often wins such appointments, regardless of any relationship they might have with the president’s family. But they do not address the possibility that Hunter Biden might have voiced his support for her appointment.
However, we do not know for sure if Hirsch Naftali bought Hunter’s art before or after the appointment.
Business Insider asked the White House and Hunter’s counsel questions about the appointment and art. Hirsh Naftali also didn’t provide a comment.
One person in the Biden administration said:
An administration official told Insider that her appointment had been recommended to Biden by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They said there was no connection between her art purchases and her appointment. They said that Hirsh Naftali was deeply involved with Jewish causes in Los Angeles and Israel — valuable background for a commission that works to preserve many historic Jewish sites across Europe. They noted her service on a policy board at the RAND Corporation, a prominent think tank.
Whether it happened before or after, it doesn’t look good. Professional ethicist Bruce Weinstein said if it happened after, it’s not as big of a deal:
Bruce Weinstein, a professional ethicist and ethics trainer, told Insider that the timing of Hirsh Naftali’s purchase was significant. “If it was done after her appointment, and she likes the painting, it’s less of an issue,” he said. “It’s more of an issue if she’s deciding to buy it beforehand. Then it might be perceived as a quid pro quo.”But regardless of the timing, Weinstein said, “if you really wanted to choose the most ethically appropriate course of action, that would not involve any conflict of interest, real or perceived, then you don’t buy the painting.”
Another buyer purchased some of Hunter’s “art” for $875,000. The documents did not identify this buyer. But this “one buyer represents the majority of the $1,379,000 in receipts that Hunter Biden’s gallery received for his work, the documents show, with the gallery receiving a 40 to 45 percent commission.”
Los Angeles attorney Kevin Morris is the third buyer. Morris is also a Biden “confidant and financial backer.” The NYT first reported Morris buying the art, but Morris said it might have been a gift instead of a purchase.
Well, Morris purchased the art. He’s also done more for Hunter:
In fact, according to the person familiar with Hunter Biden’s account, Morris purchased the art through Biden’s gallery. In addition to collecting his work, Morris has reportedly lent Hunter Biden upwards of $2 million, helping him pay off back taxes and avoid felony penalties under a June settlement with the Department of Justice. Instead, Hunter Biden pled guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges.Morris did not respond to a request for comment.
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