Hunter Biden’s gallerist has admitted during testimony that Democrat President Joe Biden’s son knew most of the buyers of his “artwork,” despite claims of the contrary from the White House.
When it was first announced that Hunter was suddenly an “artist” and was planning to sell his “art” for large sums of cash, critics immediately accused the Bidens of running a pay-for-play scheme.
In July 2021, the White House responded to the allegations by insisting that a “system” had been “established” to ensure the identities of those who bought Hunter Biden’s “artwork” would remain anonymous for ethical reasons.
The White House assured the taxpaying public that even Hunter Biden wouldn’t know who was buying his “art.”
Due to the intervention from the White House, American taxpayers funded the facilitation of the first son’s “anonymous” art sales.
However, Hunter Biden’s art dealer testified that a new agreement to stop the disclosure of Biden’s art buyers was not set up for several months following that statement from the White House.
Gallerist George Bergès said the first son knew the identities of approximately 70 percent of those buyers.
Bergès, who managed the “art” sales for Hunter Biden, took part in a closed-door, transcribed interview before both the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees earlier this month.
The testimony was part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
During his interview, House investigators showed Bergès a statement made by then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on July 9, 2021.
“After careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards,” she said.
“All interactions regarding the selling of art and the setting of prices will be handled by professional galleries, adhering to the highest industry standards.
“Any offer out of the normal court would be rejected out of hand.”
Psaki added, “The galleries 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.”
When pressed further, Psaki stressed that “it would be challenging for an anonymous person who we don’t know and Hunter Biden doesn’t know to have influence — so that’s a protection.”
However, Bergès testified that at the time of the White House’s July 2021 statement, he had an agreement with Hunter Biden which called for him, instead, “to disclose to Hunter Biden who the purchasers of his art were.”
Bergès said that the contract was agreed to in December 2020.
The art dealer revealed that it was not until September 2021 that a new agreement with Hunter Biden was created.
That agreement stated that “the gallery will not disclose the name of any buyers of artist’s artwork to artist or any agent of artist.”
Nevertheless, Bergès stressed that there was not a “White House-involved agreement.”
He asserted that Hunter Biden did know the identities of most of the buyers of his art.
Meanwhile, Bergès testified that he had spoken to President Biden both on the phone and in person.
Bergès told lawmakers that he spoke to the president “at the White House wedding during Hunter’s — Hunter’s daughter getting married.”
Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, got married at the White House on Nov. 19, 2022.
As for his phone conversation with Joe Biden, Bergès said, “My daughter finished camp, and he called to, you know, wish her, congratulate her for finishing camp and I answered the phone.”
The testimony from Bergès comes after the House formalized the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
The inquiry is being led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO).
House Republicans are investigating any foreign money received by the Biden family, whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business dealings and steps allegedly taken by the Biden administration to “slow, hamper, or otherwise impede the criminal investigation into the President’s son, Hunter Biden, which involves funds received by the Biden family from foreign sources.”
Republican investigators have suggested they are suspicious over whether Hunter Biden’s art career, which began in recent years, has led to any conflicts of interest between wealthy buyers and the White House.
“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 earlier this month.
Comer blasted the agreement as a “sham.”
