‘Access granted’: Biden’s free vacation at friend’s California mansion draws ire of critics
- August 23, 2024
Alec Schemmel, Fox News
President Biden wants to establish an enforceable ethics code for Supreme Court justices, but the lame-duck president has been criticized over his own apparent conflicts of interest, including his relationship with friend and billionaire donor Joe Kiani.
Following his address at the Democratic National Convention Monday, Biden and his family flew to Santa Ynez, California, to vacation at Kiani’s ranch-style estate. The first family is reportedly staying there for free, said White House officials who described Kiani as a “friend,” according to the New York Post.
Kiani has given Biden’s super PAC, foundation and inaugural committee nearly $3 million, according to House Republicans who have taken issue with the relationship. Meanwhile, in September 2021, Kiani won an appointment from Biden to sit on his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which advises the executive branch on policy matters involving Kiani’s medical tech business, Masimo. Since Biden took office in January 2021, Masimo has received nearly $3 million in federal contracts, according to Republicans.
“The self-proclaimed most ethical and transparent administration in history strikes again,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of the conservative nonprofit Protect the Public’s Trust.
“The Biden-Harris EPA is already doling out its Greendoggle billions to organizations with ties to the administration and its political allies. Now, we have this type of arrangement with a donor who has business before the government. Seems to be just how things get done in this administration.”