The purported “ethics agreement” set up by the White House to ensure that Hunter Biden’s art sales would undergo a “rigorous process” to avoid ethical issues—was nothing but a “sham,” according to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
On Tuesday, the Committee interviewed Hunter Biden’s art dealer, Georges Bergès and concluded that the younger Biden’s “amateur art career is an ethics nightmare.”
“Big money Democrat donors advanced and purchased the majority of Hunter Biden’s art,” Comer said after the interview. “Georges Bergès confirmed Hunter Biden’s name had influence on setting the price for his art.”
The White House purportedly set up “ethics guidelines” in the summer of 2021 that called on the George Bergès Gallery “to keep the identity of buyers and other details of the sales from both the artist and the administration.”
On July 9, 2021, then White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki told reporters: “Well, I can tell you that after careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards […] But all interactions regarding the selling of art and the setting of prices will be handled by a professional gallerist, adhering to the highest industry standards. And any offer out of the normal course would be rejected out of hand. And the gallerist will not share information about buyers or prospective buyers, including their identities, with Hunter Biden or the administration, which provides quite a level of protection and transparency.”
Deputy White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates told the Washington Post in July 2021 that the buyers’ confidentiality would ensure the process was ethical. “The president has established the highest ethical standards of any administration in American history, and his family’s commitment to rigorous processes like this is a prime example,” Bates said.
Two and a half years later, the Biden regime’s “high ethical standards” regarding Hunter’s art is very much in question.
According to House Oversight Republicans, Bergès said he never communicated with the White House about a so-called ethics agreement.
“The Biden White House appears to have deceived the American people about facilitating an ethics agreement governing the sale of Hunter Biden’s art,” Comer said in a statement following the committee’s interview with Hunter’s art dealer.
Although the White House promised that the identities of buyers would be kept secret, Bergès allegedly told lawmakers that Hunter in fact knew the identities of the individuals who purchased about 70 percent of the value of his art.
Hunter Biden’s gallerist never had any communication with the White House about such an agreement to make sure there was any sort of ethics compliance at all, and he provided information to the committee revealing how Hunter Biden’s amateur art career is an ethics nightmare. The vast majority of Hunter Biden’s art has been purchased by Democrat donors, one of whom was appointed by President Biden to a prestigious commission after she purchased Hunter Biden’s art for tens of thousands of dollars shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration. The White House has a lot of explaining to do about misleading the American people.
Hunter Biden was introduced to Bergès by Lanette Phillips, a Hollywood video producer who has hosted fundraisers for Joe Biden, the Oversight Republicans noted.
The majority of Hunter’s artwork was purchased by Democrat donors Kevin Morris and Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, Bergès told lawmakers. Not only did Hunter know their identities, he allegedly negotiated the deals with the buyers.
Georges Bergès revealed Kevin Morris purchased most of Hunter Biden’s art for $875,000 in January 2023. However, Kevin Morris only paid Mr. Bergès 40 percent commission of the $875,000 purchase and Hunter Biden and Kevin Morris figured out the financial implications. Mr. Bergès admitted he has never done an art deal like that before.
According to Bergès, before Biden was elected, Naftali had steadfastly refused to buy any of Hunter’s artwork. She allegedly became a fan of Hunter’s art projects after Biden took office and she was offered an appointment on a prestigious art commission.
In 2020, Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali did not buy Hunter Biden’s art despite Georges Bergès best efforts. Within two months of Joe Biden becoming President, in February 2021, Ms. Naftali purchased her first piece of Hunter Biden’s artwork for $42,000. Then in July 2022, President Biden announced Ms. Naftali’s appointment to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad – the same commission that Biden family associate, Eric Schwerin, was appointed to during the Obama-Biden Administration. In December 2022, Hirsh Naftali purchased more of Hunter Biden’s art for $52,000.
Anonymous “people familiar with the agreement” told the Washington Post in July of 2021, that Bergès had “agreed to reject any offer that he deems suspicious or that comes in over the asking price.”
Oddly enough, Bergès told the Oversight Committee he never had communications with the White House regarding any such agreement.