(Washington Examiner) Hunter Biden’s art dealer, Georges Berges, confirmed during a transcribed interview with congressional investigators that Democratic donors have purchased the majority of the president’s son’s art.
Berges’s testimony with the House Oversight Committee staff, which is conducting the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, comes after reports that a major democratic donor purchased artwork from Hunter Biden both before and after being appointed to a prestigious board by the president.
The donor, Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, purchased $42,000 worth of art from the president’s son in February 2021 before she was appointed to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad by Joe Biden in July 2022. Months later, in December 2022, Naftali would purchase more art from Biden for $52,000.
Naftali wasn’t the only Democratic donor to purchase Hunter Biden’s art. Berges confirmed that Kevin Morris, a Democratic donor, bought Hunter Biden’s art for $875,000, according to a source. IRS whistleblower documents also reveal that Morris gave $4.9 million in loans to Hunter Biden from 2020 to 2022.
According to a source familiar with the transcribed interview, Berges testified that democratic donors have spent the most money on Hunter Biden’s art but did not necessarily buy the most pieces in total. The art dealer also claimed that the Democratic donors were not targeted and that most of the individual buyers were not donors, a second source with direct knowledge of the interview said.
While two of the donors in question had ties to Biden and the Democratic Party, Berges said that he had no communication with the White House about Hunter Biden’s art, according to the two sources.
“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,” former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in July 2021.
Berges confirmed this was the case and testified that he did not tell Hunter Biden who any of the buyers were. However, Hunter Biden was aware of the identities of some people who purchased roughly 70% of the value of his art, including Morris and Naftali, according to a source.
The White House has remained adamant that they had nothing to do with Hunter Biden’s art sales, nor did they know who the buyers were.
