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Updated October 10th, 2021 at 16:17 IST

Art gallery selling Hunter Biden's paintings received federal COVID loan of 500k: Reports

George Bergés Gallery in Soho, New York recieved a loan of $80,000 in two halves in April 2020 and February 2021 through SBA-approved paychecks.

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
hunter biden
IMAGE: @GeorgeBergésGallery_Instagram/AP | Image:self
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An article published by the New York Post citing public records revealed that an art gallery selling Hunter Biden's paintings received COVID assistance of around 500k after Joe Biden took office in 2020. The initial part of the loan of about $150,000 was sanctioned as a part of the grants under the Small Business Administration (SBA), which were introduced to help businesses fund their employees during the pandemic. Later in July 2021, the figure was revised with SBA approval providing an additional fund of around $350,000.

According to public records, as cited by NY Post, George Bergés Gallery in Soho, New York received a loan of $80,000 in two instalments in April 2020 and February 2021 through SBA-approved paychecks. Overall, a sum of $580,000 was released as substantial loans for the two employees working in the gallery.

Responding to New York Post's queries about the incident, Bergés said, "I received my PPP loan in April of 2020 when Donald Trump was President, along with countless other galleries." They also added that they were entitled to the loan since their business too was under the grubs of the pandemic. However, neither Bergés nor the public records indicated the involvement of Joe Biden in the possible scam.

No indication of the President's involvement

According to NY Post, there was no evidence of President Joe Biden's involvement in the release of the COVID loan to the gallery. However, notably, 100 other galleries in New City's 10th Congressional district, including Soho, Tribeca, and Chelsea were funded by SBA-approved loans. Calling it a "subsidised mid-life crisis art career funded by American taxpayers,” the Director of government integrity project at National Legal and Policy Center said. Speaking to NY Post he also indicated a possibility of "ethical breach" where federal loans were used to fund Hunter Biden's work. "This is a unique situation in which the president's son is directly benefitting from federal loans made to a third party," he said said.

To avert efforts to influence the Biden administration and potential conflicts, an agreement reached between Bergés and the White House stated that buyers of Hunter's artwork would remain anonymous. However, videos and photos obtained by DailyMail.com showed that Hunter and Bergés were hosting over 200 people at Milk Studios on October 1. The event, as mentioned by DailyMail.com, was an exclusive invite-only party where the duo showcased over 15 expensive paintings created by Hunter. It has now emerged that Bergés has marketed 5 paintings of the President's son for $75,000 each before the launch of the LA pop-up. Although, it is unclear if any of the paintings have been sold since the show opened.

Image: @GeorgeBergésGallery_Instagram/AP

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Published October 10th, 2021 at 16:17 IST

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