Hunter Biden sold one of his paintings to a Democratic donor who was later appointed to a prestigious federal commission, a report revealed Tuesday.
The White House has insisted that President Joe Biden has held firm on his campaign pledge to maintain an "absolute wall" between his official duties and his family's private interests, but the sale of his son's artwork to Los Angeles real estate developer and philanthropist Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali raises questions about that arrangement, reported Insider.
When a New York art gallery showed the younger Biden's artwork starting in 2021, the White House said buyers would be carefully vetted and known only to the gallery, but three sources familiar with Hunter Biden's account said he learned the identity of Hirsh Naftali, who has given $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year, and another buyer.
Hirsh Naftali, who also hosted a fundraiser last year headlined by Vice President Kamala Harris, was appointed in July 2022 to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, although it's not clear whether she purchased the artwork before or after her appointment.
"If it was done after her appointment, and she likes the painting, it's less of an issue," said ethicist Bruce Feldman. "It's more of an issue if she's deciding to buy it beforehand. Then it might be perceived as a quid pro quo ... 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."
Asking prices for Hunter Biden's work went as high as $500,000, and a single unidentified buyer purchased $875,000 of his artwork.
An administration official said Hirsh Naftali's appointment to the board -- whose members are unpaid and typically made up of campaign donors, family members and political allies -- was made by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and they insisted there was no connection to the artwork purchase, but offered no timeline.
"Hunter Biden is a private citizen who is entitled to have his own career as an artist," said White House spokesman Ian Sams. "We are not involved in his art sales, and any buyers of his art are not disclosed to the White House."
The only other buyer known to the president's son is Los Angeles attorney Kevin Morris, who has become a confidante and financial backer to the younger Biden, according to three sources familiar with his account of the sale. He reportedly loaned Hunter Biden as much as $2 million to help him pay off back taxes as he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges.
