The art dealer representing Hunter Biden will answer questions from Republicans behind closed doors as they ramp up their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Georges Bergès is expected to make a closed-door statement Tuesday under the leadership of the House Oversight Committee as the Republican Party seeks to probe Hunter’s lucrative art deals.
Hunter’s artwork attracted attention after some of his paintings were listed for as much as $500,000, but the identities of the buyers and the prices they actually paid were kept secret.
Top Republican James Comer, R-Ky., has highlighted the possibility that “foreign buyers” made the purchases — and his committee plans to investigate further.
Bergès, who oversaw sales of Hunter’s amateur paintings and said he has the potential to become “one of the most influential artists of this century,” was summoned by subpoena to testify on Capitol Hill in November.
The Republican committee investigation is part of an ongoing investigation into the president’s son’s shady business dealings, which some say exploited his close ties to the White House for profit.
The GOP leadership held a vote on December 13 to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry against Joe.
Georges Bergès and Hunter Biden. Bergès has represented Biden throughout his art career
Hunter Biden hard at work on one of his many paintings. His manager said he could be one of the most important artists of the century
The party-line vote of 221 to 212 opened the door for the Republican Party to get more evidence about schemes that gave the Biden family millions from countries like China, Ukraine and Romania.
And the Bidens will now be subpoenaed more of their banking records, mortgage records, emails, text messages and cellphones, along with anything else Congress wants to see.
A source with direct knowledge of the transcribed interview told DailyMail.com that Bergès said he had no communication with the White House at all, including about the sale of Hunter Biden’s artwork.
In addition, he told congressional investigators that he never told Hunter who any of the buyers were.
But according to another source, Bergès “admitted” to the committee that Hunter “knew the identities” of the individuals who bought about 70 percent of the value of his art — including Democrats Kevin Morris and Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali.
Naftali, a Los Angeles real estate developer who paid a lot of money for Hunter’s art, has also been subpoenaed by the commission.
A lawyer for Naftali last summer sought to discredit “numerous false allegations,” drawing an “unsubstantiated” link between her art purchases and allegations of corruption against Biden.
Bergès previously sidestepped the question of whether he would cooperate with the Republican-led commission.
And he had declined to provide information about Biden’s clients, arguing that he was committed to his clients’ anonymity along with finding the next great artist of the time.
“I represent Hunter Biden because I believe that not only does his art deserve my representation, but because his personal story, from which his art emerges, is desperately needed in the world,” he previously said.
“He is a story of perseverance; Hunter’s story reflects what I believe is the beauty of humanity, judged not by the fall, but by the strength to rise, by having the character it takes to change and the courage to do it.”
“Hunter Biden’s art reflects all that and more. His art gives us hope; it reminds us that tomorrow brings a new day, a new beginning, a new possibility,” he said.
Hunter’s latest artwork advertised prices between $55,000 and $225,000, according to the Daily Beast.
The White House had previously announced that a team of lawyers had reviewed the sales and kept buyers anonymous as a way to avoid potential conflicts of interest when buyers handed inflated sales prices to the president’s son.
Republicans voted in December to formalize their ongoing impeachment efforts against Joe Biden and his connections to his family’s businesses.
Bergès previously sidestepped the question of whether he would cooperate with the Republican-led commission
Georges Bergès carries a bouquet of flowers to his gallery where Biden’s art is on display
Georges Bergès stands in his gallery in New York City during Biden’s gallery exhibition
“For more than a decade, the Biden family has benefited from Joe Biden’s positions as public officials,” Comer said in a letter to the dealer last year.
“Your deal with Hunter Biden raises serious ethical concerns and raises questions about whether the Biden family is once again selling access and influence.”
“Despite being an aspiring artist, Hunter Biden received exorbitant amounts for the sale of his artworks, the identities of the buyers remain unknown and you appear to be the sole administrator of these lucrative transactions,” Comer wrote to Bergès.
Comer highlighted the possibility of “foreign buyers” making purchases.
During one of Biden’s 2021 gallery exhibitions, two former White House ethics chiefs warned that buyers could try to gain influence over the president by buying his son’s work for high prices.
“I think that’s absolutely appalling,” White House ethics chief Walter Shaub told Law & Crime’s “Objections” podcast in August.
Richard Painter, George W. Bush’s ethics chief, told Fox: “It will be very clear to people who know who is buying Hunter Biden’s art.
“The question is: will the American people know? The White House must insist on full transparency.”
The Oversight Committee has focused much of its attention on the Biden family’s business dealings, particularly if Hunter Biden sold access to foreign officials and the extent to which Joe Biden could have been involved.
Hunter Biden sits among some of his paintings. His paintings are listed for large amounts
One of Hunter Biden’s paintings. At a gallery exhibition last year, one of his works was offered for $500,000
A painting by Hunter Biden at his exhibition. The names of his buyers have been kept secret
Comer highlighted the possibility of “foreign buyers” making purchases.
Amid criticism of the art sales, the White House Counsel’s Office came up with a plan to prevent Hunter or anyone else in the Biden administration from knowing the identities of those who bought his work.
Hunter’s latest artwork advertised prices between $55,000 and $225,000
