Jim Jordan: Is Alvin Bragg Investigating Hunter’s Anonymous Art Sales in NYC?

Jordan
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) questioned if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is probing into Hunter Biden’s suspicious art sales to anonymous buyers — drawing a contrast between Bragg’s apparent lack of concern on that subject and his “outrageous” indictment of former President Donald Trump.

In total, Hunter has sold about 12 paintings for less than his asking price of $500,000, Washington Post reported. It is unclear how much money Hunter has made from his art, but estimates suggest he has earned at least five times more than the average American artist — all while being a novice painter.

“Is Alvin Bragg looking into Hunter Biden’s art sales and business records in New York City?” Jordan asked on Twitter Friday. “Outrageous.”

The artwork sales to anonymous buyers have raised questions about who might have bought the art. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said he is 95 percent sure Hunter’s sold artwork has found its way to China, potentially compromising the president.

The art market is known for corruption. A Senate subcommittee report detailed in 2020 how the art market can serve as a vehicle for money laundering:

The art industry is considered the largest, legal unregulated industry in the United States. Unlike financial institutions, the art industry is not subject to Bank Secrecy Act’s (“BSA”) requirements, which mandate detailed procedures to prevent money laundering and to verify a customer’s identity. While the BSA does not apply to art transactions by art dealers and auction houses, sanctions do. No U.S. person or entity is allowed to do business with a sanctioned individual or entity.

Despite the corruption in the art market, the White House has defended Hunter’s art sales to anonymous buyers. Others are more skeptical.

“To ask for up to $500,000 is just a blatant payoff,” Adam Thompson, a prominent artist from Miami, told Breitbart News. “The real problem lies in the people who are buying it at the outrageous prices they’re selling for.”

Hunter’s artwork would likely be worth only “$4,000–$5,000” if he was not the president’s son, Thompson added. “It’s nowhere near as good as George W. Bush’s art.”

The president’s 53-year-old son has remained defiant toward his critics, responding “f*ck’em” when asked how he would respond to them.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.