Biden family heads to Nantucket for final Thanksgiving of presidency
WASHINGTON — Retiring President Biden loaded up his family Tuesday for a final Thanksgiving on Nantucket island — returning to the pricey Massachusetts destination after kicking back at billionaire David Rubenstein’s compound there every year while in office.
Two-time felon Hunter Biden, 54, was spotted by reporters on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews following a motorcade from the White House — as speculation swirls about whether his dad will pardon him before leaving office Jan. 20.
Biden, 82, has throughout his presidency enjoyed free lodging from prominent Democrats — in some instances after asking for use of the property — and has then failed to list the freebies on annual ethics disclosure forms.
Biden and Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, have been coy about whether the president reimburses the private equity titan for use of the home — unlike other stays in which the gifted lodging has been confirmed by one of the parties.
Spokespeople for Biden and Rubenstein would not confirm to The Post whether the first family is paying, though the pattern of the president’s holidays indicate he likely is not.
Biden spoke at a September lunch put on by the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., of which Rubenstein is president.
“The problem is the not disclosing. And it makes us very hard for those of us who are very critical of the Supreme Court justices who are not disclosing this kind of stuff,” said University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter, who was the top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House.
“It’s not just the house, I’m sure this guy has greased the skids in all sorts of ways with his money for Biden and the Democrats,” said Painter, who was heavily critical of President-elect Donald Trump on ethics issues during his first term.
“I think that what’s alienating American voters is that a presidential election and elections for the Congress are just perceived as a contest between competing teams of billionaires. Do you want the [George] Soros candidate or the Elon Musk candidate?” he went on.
“It really hurts the Democrats because they have always been claiming to be the party of the people, and yet, time and time again, you find the president of the United States staying in the house of a billionaire.”
“Does he need to stay in a billionaire’s house?” Painter added. “It creates the impression of elitism.”
Rubenstein served as an adviser to former President Jimmy Carter before striking it rich in the business world.
His philanthropy has been spread across Washington — with Rubenstein ponying up $7.5 million to repair the Washington Monument in 2012 following an earthquake, giving $50 million next year to finance a Kennedy Center expansion and $10 million in 2020 to refurbish the Library of Congress.
Other Biden vacations have been confirmed to be free — including a trio of trips to St. Croix, where his family spent the New Year’s holiday at what’s typically a VRBO beachfront rental owned by businesspeople Bill and Connie Neville, who scored tickets to Biden’s first state dinner.
Biden most recently stayed in August with his family at the California ranch of billionaire megadonor Joe Kiani, whom House Republicans noted received nearly $3 million in federal contracts since Biden took office.
He previously stayed for free at the Kiawah Island, S.C., home of Maria Allwin, the widow of hedge fund founder James Allwin, and spent a week at the Lake Tahoe home of billionaire environmental investor Tom Steyer.
A Biden rep claimed that vacation was paid for — prompting a local government investigation into Steyer’s lack of a rental permit. The probe was called off without explanation.
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