The Secret Service is spending more than $30,000 each month renting out a Malibu mansion in California to protect President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, according to an ABC News report. Hunter Biden is under federal investigation for his foreign business dealings and has been staying in Malibu throughout his father’s presidency.
This report was published as the investigation into Hunter Biden intensifies. A federal grand jury has heard testimony in recent months about Hunter Biden’s income and payments he received while serving on the board of a Ukraine energy company, according to two people familiar with the probe. It remains unclear whether he might be charged. But the grand jury activity underscores that a 2018 federal tax investigation into President Biden’s son remains active as prosecutors continue to examine foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.
No matter how the investigation resolves, it has already presented a political headache for the Biden administration and could lead to an even bigger one, particularly if Republicans who have seized on the probe to attack the president retake control of the House in midterm elections later this year. Republicans would then control congressional committees and shape the focus of any investigations.
Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of an investigation into his taxes in December 2020, one month after the presidential election. He said in a statement at the time that he was “confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
In recent weeks, major news organizations also confirmed the authenticity of some of the emails found on Hunter Biden’s laptop from 2009 to 2019 when he acted as a consultant to companies in China and Ukraine. Some of the emails included information about foreign business dealings. The laptop is now in the possession of the FBI.
Republicans have gone on the attack again on Hunter Biden. GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate last week signaled they will push the government for more information on Hunter Biden’s doings, signaling a likely line of attack if they retake the House and Senate this fall.
The high costs of protecting first families is not isolated to the Bidens. According to a new report by The Daily Beast, the Secret Service has spent $1.3 million on protection for President Trump and his family since they left the White House.
