(PartiallyPolitics.com) – President Joe Biden did not report his complimentary stays at the homes of wealthy donors on the annual ethics forms made public this week, failing to comply with a transparency rule that has been in place for 40 years.
This lapse in reporting came into the spotlight just after ProPublica won a Pulitzer Prize for exposing how Supreme Court justices had accepted gifts and free travel for years.
According to the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, all federal officeholders are required to disclose any gifts they receive on their annual financial disclosure reports. Despite this, Biden’s latest disclosure omitted any mention of these complimentary stays.
Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration, spoke to the New York Post about the implications of such omissions. He emphasized that knowingly omitting a gift could lead to criminal charges for making false statements.
Painter elaborated on the potential repercussions of such an omission, noting, “It seems unwise to omit such details from the form because presidential trips are well-known, and questions about who pays are inevitable. Thus, you must either personally pay for the accommodation, ensure the host is present during the stay, or report it on the disclosure form.”
In 2023, the Biden family enjoyed a new year stay at the St. Croix property of Bill and Connie Neville, which is typically available as a rental on VRBO. The Nevilles have ties to significant business interests, with Bill Neville founding US Viking, which produces ENPS, a news production software utilized by The Associated Press.
Biden’s other stays included six days at David Rubenstein’s Nantucket property over Thanksgiving and nine days at Tom Steyer’s waterfront home in Lake Tahoe during August.
The White House initially stated that Biden would pay “fair market value” for his use of Steyer’s property. However, complications arose when it was discovered that Steyer’s property lacked the necessary rental permit, leading to a quick cessation of the investigation, and no terms of rental were ever disclosed.
Painter warned that failing to disclose these gifts could make Biden or his aides criminally liable for false statements, punishable under 18 U.S. Code § 1001 by up to five years in prison.
James Comer, the Republican Chair of the House Oversight Committee, told the Post that there is a pressing need for Congress to increase the penalties for failing to report gifts and criticized the lack of attention from the left on Biden’s ethical issues.
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