TroglocratsRdumb
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- Aug 11, 2017
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President Biden failed to list free vacations at the homes of businesspeople on his annual financial disclosure form this week — drawing a rebuke from ethicists and Republicans amid an ongoing political firestorm over Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ similar non-reporting of free trips from a businessman.
Biden enjoyed three beach getaways at the homes of the wealthy and politically connected owners during the past-year reporting period.
In two instances, Biden is known not to have paid the owner and in the third case it’s suspected the president did not pay.
Ethics experts Walter Shaub, who led the Obama-era Office of Government Ethics, and Richard Painter, the top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House, say free vacation-home stays need to be disclosed if the homeowner isn’t present — and it appears they were not — because a “personal hospitality” exception would not apply.
“The homeowner has to be a personal friend of the president or first lady and be present during the stay — otherwise that goes on the form. There’s no excuse not to have it on the form,” Painter, now a University of Minnesota law professor, told The Post.
“You can’t have the president just going around using people’s houses for free without disclosure. That’s no better than a Supreme Court justice staying on a yacht for free without disclosure,” Painter said.
Painter added that he can’t understand the omissions — in part, he says, because the presidential counsel’s office in the West Wing kept diligent tabs on such gifts when he was working there.
Biden reported accepting no gifts of any kind on the annual disclosure form he signed May 14.
In August, Biden and his family spent seven days at the nine-bedroom Kiawah Island, SC, mansion of donor Maria Allwin, whose family runs a hedge fund, after asking her to use the home, a source told The Post at the time.
“They’re not paying. They’ve never paid,” the source said.
First lady Jill Biden extended her stay on Kiawah another five days after testing positive for COVID-19.
In November, the extended Biden family stayed for six days at the Nantucket Island compound of billionaire investor David Rubenstein, cofounder of the Carlyle Group.
The White House and a spokesperson for Rubenstein didn’t respond to inquiries about whether the Bidens paid.
In late December and early January, the first couple, their daughter Ashley and grandkids Natalie and Hunter stayed seven days for free as “guests” at the beachfront St. Croix home of businesspeople Bill and Connie Neville.
nypost.com
Comment:
The Left has very high standards for Republicans and very low standards for Democrats.
They have a huge credibility gap.
Is this impeachable?
Would it be impeachable if a Republican did it?
Biden enjoyed three beach getaways at the homes of the wealthy and politically connected owners during the past-year reporting period.
In two instances, Biden is known not to have paid the owner and in the third case it’s suspected the president did not pay.
Ethics experts Walter Shaub, who led the Obama-era Office of Government Ethics, and Richard Painter, the top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House, say free vacation-home stays need to be disclosed if the homeowner isn’t present — and it appears they were not — because a “personal hospitality” exception would not apply.
“The homeowner has to be a personal friend of the president or first lady and be present during the stay — otherwise that goes on the form. There’s no excuse not to have it on the form,” Painter, now a University of Minnesota law professor, told The Post.
“You can’t have the president just going around using people’s houses for free without disclosure. That’s no better than a Supreme Court justice staying on a yacht for free without disclosure,” Painter said.
Painter added that he can’t understand the omissions — in part, he says, because the presidential counsel’s office in the West Wing kept diligent tabs on such gifts when he was working there.
Biden reported accepting no gifts of any kind on the annual disclosure form he signed May 14.
In August, Biden and his family spent seven days at the nine-bedroom Kiawah Island, SC, mansion of donor Maria Allwin, whose family runs a hedge fund, after asking her to use the home, a source told The Post at the time.
“They’re not paying. They’ve never paid,” the source said.
First lady Jill Biden extended her stay on Kiawah another five days after testing positive for COVID-19.
In November, the extended Biden family stayed for six days at the Nantucket Island compound of billionaire investor David Rubenstein, cofounder of the Carlyle Group.
The White House and a spokesperson for Rubenstein didn’t respond to inquiries about whether the Bidens paid.
In late December and early January, the first couple, their daughter Ashley and grandkids Natalie and Hunter stayed seven days for free as “guests” at the beachfront St. Croix home of businesspeople Bill and Connie Neville.
Biden omits free vacations from financial forms after Clarence Thomas controversy
Biden failed to list free vacations at the homes of elite businesspeople on his annual financial disclosure forms this week — drawing a rebuke from ethicists and Republicans.
nypost.com
Comment:
The Left has very high standards for Republicans and very low standards for Democrats.
They have a huge credibility gap.
Is this impeachable?
Would it be impeachable if a Republican did it?
