Politics

REPORT: Amid Tax Troubles, Hunter Biden Is Living In A Malibu Mansion With Secret Service Protection

(Photo by Handout/DNCC via Getty Images)

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
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Hunter Biden is currently living in a Malibu house with Secret Service protection, an arrangement that is reportedly costing taxpayers $30,000 a month, according to ABC News.

Hunter, President Joe Biden’s only surviving son, is plagued by legal issues, and could be facing indictment, according to a recent New York Times report. Although Hunter paid back taxes shortly before the 2020 election, the Department of Justice has reportedly continued to investigate him for potential tax code violations, as well as foreign lobbying and influence peddling. (RELATED: Nearly A Year-And-A-Half After The DCNF, WaPo Finally Confirms Hunter Biden Laptop Story)

Despite tax troubles, the younger Biden is reportedly spending $20,000 a month on the house, according to a Monday ABC News report, which cited sources familiar with the matter. The Secret Service is reportedly spending $30,000 a month on a neighboring mansion to keep an eye on Hunter, who was assigned a protection detail by President Biden. Similarly priced homes in Malibu on the real estate site Zillow have between three and five bedrooms, two and four bathrooms, and measure more than 2,000 square feet.

Although his main source of income is unclear, Hunter has recently worked as an artist, selling paintings for as much as $75,000. Critics have expressed concern that the art could be used as a cover for influence buying, although the White House insists that privacy agreements will prevent such dealing.

While his father served as vice president in the Obama administration, Hunter sat on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. He later received more than $700,000 from a New York-based capital management company with ties to Burisma and the state-run Bank of China.

As a policy, the Secret Service does not confirm or deny who receives their protection. Only the president and vice president are required by statute to have Secret Service protection, although the president may assign it to family members and administration officials. Hunter, his second wife Melissa, and their son receive Secret Service protection, although it is unclear whether or not his out-of-wedlock daughter receives such protection.

A 2021 White House Christmas stocking display excluded Hunter’s out-of-wedlock child, Navy, despite including the rest of President Biden’s grandchildren.