HYGO News Who Paying Secret Service $16K/Month Malibu Home For Hunter? Hunter Art Sale? Biden Brand? 2 Beers?
KJP Deflects on Secret Service’s $16K/Month Hunter Biden Staging, Art Sales, “Biden Brand,” and Two Beers
On August 28, 2023, a White House press briefing produced a rapid-fire series of exchanges between reporters and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre covering the taxpayer cost of Secret Service staging near Hunter Biden’s Malibu rental, whether Hunter’s art sales created corruption risks, Devon Archer’s testimony about the “Biden brand,” a surprise question about limiting Americans to two beers per week, and House Speaker McCarthy’s march toward impeachment. Jean-Pierre’s dominant tactic throughout was refusal to engage, repeatedly telling reporters their questions were “for Hunter Biden’s representatives” or the Secret Service, while declining to address the substance of the Archer testimony or the impeachment signals.
Who Is Paying for the Secret Service’s $16,000/Month Malibu Staging?
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy opened the briefing’s sharpest exchange by asking about the cost of Secret Service staging near Hunter Biden’s new Malibu residence. Hunter had recently moved into a home that cost $15,800 per month in rent, and the Secret Service detail assigned to protect him was reportedly living in a nearby property at a similar price point.
“The Secret Service is paying $16,000 a month now to stage near Hunter Biden in Malibu. Who’s paying for that?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre’s answer was a single-sentence redirect: “That’s a question for the Secret Service.”
The deflection did not address the underlying concern: whether taxpayers were footing the bill for a luxury staging arrangement driven by Hunter Biden’s personal lifestyle choices. The Secret Service protects certain family members of the President as a matter of policy, but the cost of doing so in one of America’s most expensive coastal communities raised questions about whether the protection framework was being stretched to subsidize an extravagant living situation.
Hunter Art Sales and Access Concerns
Doocy then pivoted to Hunter Biden’s art career, which had been a source of controversy since it emerged that the White House had arranged an ethics agreement under which buyers’ identities would supposedly be kept confidential to prevent corruption.
“Hunter Biden is reportedly selling art to pay for his $15,800-a-month rent in Malibu. How can you guarantee that people are not going to be buying this art to gain favor with the president?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre dismissed the question: “That is a question for Hunter Biden and his representatives.”
Doocy pressed further, referencing Devon Archer’s recent congressional testimony: “But we know that from Hunter Biden’s associate now that he sold the appearance of access to then-Vice President Biden. Are you confident that he has stopped doing that?”
Jean-Pierre attempted to redirect: “That is a question for Hunter Biden.”
Doocy pushed back: “If somebody is selling the appearance of access to the White House, that is a question for the White House.”
Jean-Pierre’s response was telling: “That is your — I don’t know how you’re perceiving that. That’s my view.”
The exchange was significant because it exposed the White House’s inability to draw a clean line between Hunter Biden’s private business activities and the presidency. Doocy’s argument was straightforward: when a president’s son is selling products of uncertain value to undisclosed buyers while trading on the family name, questions about access and influence are directed at the White House, not the son’s lawyers. Jean-Pierre’s refusal to accept this framing left the ethical questions unanswered.
”What Is the Biden Brand?”
Doocy then asked the question that emerged directly from Devon Archer’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Archer had testified that he and Hunter Biden had sought to profit from the “Biden brand” and that Joe Biden had been placed on speakerphone during business calls with foreign partners.
Doocy asked: “Devin Archer talks about how he and Hunter Biden tried to profit off the Biden brand. What is the Biden brand?”
Jean-Pierre refused to engage: “I’m not going to get into it from here. I’m not going to get into it from here. We’re going to move on.”
The decision to “move on” rather than define or deny the concept of a “Biden brand” was itself an answer. The White House could not deny that the “Biden brand” existed without contradicting Archer’s sworn testimony, but it could not define it without acknowledging the connection between the Biden family name and Hunter’s business activities. Silence was the safest option.
Two Beers Per Week?
In a lighter but still revealing moment, a returning reporter asked an unexpected question: “Does President Biden want to limit Americans to two beers a week?”
Jean-Pierre was caught off guard: “Where is this coming from? Maybe I didn’t — maybe I didn’t miss you so much.”
The reporter explained: “Dr. George Kuhn, who is the director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, says the U.S. may soon follow Canada and recommend just two beers a week. How do you guys think that’s going to —”
Jean-Pierre cut in: “Let me tell you what I’m not going to get involved in. I have no idea. I’ve not seen the data. I will leave it to the experts.”
The reporter followed up: “So the experts say two beers a week?”
Jean-Pierre repeated: “I will leave it to the experts. I’m just not going to comment on that.”
The exchange produced a moment of levity but also illustrated the White House’s reflexive deferral to “experts” even on questions of personal liberty. The suggestion that a federal agency might recommend limiting beer consumption to two per week was viewed by many Americans as governmental overreach, and Jean-Pierre’s decision to defer to “the experts” rather than dismissing the premise outright drew commentary.
Impeachment: “Baseless Political Stunts”
The briefing closed with a question about Speaker McCarthy’s latest signals toward impeachment. A reporter noted that McCarthy had called an impeachment inquiry “a natural step forward” and asked for the White House response.
Jean-Pierre dismissed the prospect: “I can’t really speak to the House Republicans and what they’re focusing on. They can speak to that. You’ve heard from Speaker McCarthy. Not going to dive into what’s in his head or what they want to do.”
She then characterized the effort as political theater: “Instead of, you know, more baseless political stunts. That’s what they — that’s what they’re focusing on.”
The framing was consistent with the White House’s approach throughout the summer of 2023: treating the House investigations and impeachment signals as partisan distractions rather than engaging with the specific evidence that Republican investigators had assembled, including bank records, whistleblower testimony, and Archer’s sworn statements.
Key Takeaways
- Jean-Pierre deflected questions about who was paying for the Secret Service’s $16,000/month staging near Hunter Biden’s Malibu rental, saying “that’s a question for the Secret Service.”
- When asked how the White House could guarantee Hunter’s art sales were not creating corruption risks, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said it was “a question for Hunter Biden and his representatives.”
- Doocy pressed on the “Biden brand” concept from Devon Archer’s testimony, asking Jean-Pierre to define it. She refused: “I’m not going to get into it from here. We’re going to move on.”
- Jean-Pierre deferred to “the experts” when asked about a potential federal recommendation to limit Americans to two beers per week, drawing criticism for not dismissing the premise.
- Jean-Pierre called McCarthy’s impeachment signals “baseless political stunts” rather than addressing the specific evidence House investigators had presented.
Full Transcript
The following is transcribed from the video audio:
The Secret Service is paying $16,000 a month now to stage near Hunter Biden in Malibu. Who’s paying for that? That’s a question for the Secret Service. Okay, Hunter Biden is reportedly selling art to pay for his $15,800 a month rent in Malibu. How can you guarantee that people are not going to be buying this art to gain favor with the president? That is a question for Hunter Biden and his representatives. I hear your question. I hear your question. I hear your question. I’m not going to get involved in this. That is a question for Hunter Biden’s representatives.
But we know that from Hunter Biden’s associate now that he sold the appearance of access to then vice president Biden. Are you confident that he has stopped doing that? That is a question for Hunter Biden. If somebody is selling the appearance of access to the White House, that is a question for the White House. That is your, I don’t know how you’re perceiving that. That’s my view. It’s your testimony about Devon Archer. I am just not, Peter, I’m just not going to get into this. I’m just not.
So this testimony since the last time that I was in here, Devon Archer talks about how he and Hunter Biden tried to profit off the Biden brand. What is the Biden brand? I’m not going to get into it from here. I’m not going to get into it from here. We’re going to move on.
Go ahead. I’ve missed you. Welcome back. Thank you. It’s good to be back. Yeah. How’s baby Karine? She’s good. Oh, baby KJP. Very nice to her dad. Just like the old KJP. That’s good. I have another question that you probably were not expecting. Okay. Does President Biden want to limit Americans to two beers a week? Where is this coming from? Maybe I didn’t, maybe I didn’t miss you so much. Where is this coming from? All right. Well, Dr. George Kuhn, who is the director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says the U.S. may soon follow Canada and recommend just two beers a week. How do you guys think that’s going to — Let me tell you what I’m not going to get involved in, that question right there. I have no idea. I’ve not seen the data. I cannot speak to this. I will leave it to the experts. So the experts say two beers a week. I will leave it to the experts. I’m just not going to comment on that.
Okay. Something else. The House Speaker yesterday said, moving towards impeachment now is quote, a natural step forward and would be an opportunity for Congress to get all the information they need, his words. What is the White House’s response to the apparent march to impeachment by House Republicans? And does it make working within this fall on matters of dollars and cents especially any more difficult? So look, I can’t really speak to the House Republicans and what they’re focusing on. They can speak to that. You’ve heard from Speaker McCarthy, not going to dive into what’s in his head or what they want to do. And that’s going to be his focus instead of, you know, more baseless political stunts. That’s what they’re focusing on.