Secret Service Rents $30K Malibu Pad To Protect Hunter Biden
It's costing taxpayers more than $30,000 a month for the Secret Service to rent an estate in Malibu to protect Hunter Biden, according to a new report on Monday.
The New York Post reports that Hunter Biden has been living in a nearby “resort-style” home with “enchanting” panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.
A former Secret Service agent told ABC News that President Joe Biden's son is entitled to round-the-clock security, just like other presidential family members, and the setup is the "cost of doing business."
“Typically, wherever a protectee sets up their residence, the Secret Service is forced to find someplace to rent nearby at market value,” retired agent Don Mihalek told the outlet.
The former agent said the agency also rents properties at Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach in Delaware as part of its duty to protect President Biden on his frequent weekend trips home, and isn't immune to the increase in housing market expenses.
"This isn’t new,” Mihalek said. “The service has had to do this in past administrations, and unfortunately, the housing market right now has driven the prices up substantially.”
Hunter Biden has come under scrutiny recently for his business dealings in Ukraine and China, is under investigation by the feds for allegations of tax fraud, and has been spending his time over the past year in luxury homes that cost about $20,000 a month, the Post reports.
In just recent weeks, the New York Times confirmed that Hunter Biden's laptop was real — despite previously dismissing the laptop as “unsubstantiated” for the last year and a half — and not just Russian misinformation.
A government affairs lobbyist at good government advocacy group Public Citizen, Craig Holman, told ABC that although Secret Service protection is required for the president’s family, they should try to take measures to ease the cost for taxpayers.
"Hunter should recognize the exorbitant cost of his own protection in the exclusive Malibu neighborhood, and cooperate with the Secret Service to bring down the expenses,” Holman said. "A cost of $30,000 a month for the Secret Service to rent a home in Malibu next to Hunter is an unconscionable burden to taxpayers, all for the personal benefit of Hunter Biden. Hunter should realize this and accommodate his security detail in his own home."