Hunter Biden paintings pose ethical challenge for president

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has established an arrangement that would allow President Joe Biden’s son Hunter to sell his artwork for tens of thousands of dollars without knowing the identity of the purchaser, an agreement established in attempt to avoid any potential ethical concerns surrounding his sales.

Under the arrangement, a private art gallery owner will set prices for his work and will handle all bidding and sales, but will not share any information about buyers or prospective buyers with Hunter or anyone in the administration. The deal was first reported by The Washington Post.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the gallerist would reject “any offer out of the normal course” and that the administration believes the agreement “provides quite a level of protection and transparency."

“After careful consideration a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards,” she told reporters. “Of course he has the right to pursue an artistic career, just like any child of a president has the right to pursue a career.”

It marks one of the first high-profile tests of the president’s commitment to much more stringent ethics rules for his family and administration officials than his predecessor, Donald Trump, who had a daughter and son-in-law working for him in the White House and often spent taxpayer dollars at his own properties. On his first day as president, Biden signed an executive order requiring stricter ethics commitments from all administration personnel, but Hunter’s private dealings have drawn scrutiny in the past, with some critics expressing concerns that he sought to profit from the use of his father’s name during his lobbying work and work with a Ukrainian energy...