(FeaturedNews.com) – It’s common knowledge that Secret Service provides lifetime protection for former presidents and their families. However, the United States Government spends $30,000 per month, in rent alone, for Hunter Biden’s protection to live next door to his picturesque Malibu resort home. The president’s son lives in the lap of luxury with gorgeous ocean views and all the amenities one could ever want. His Secret Service detail, forced to roost in the property next door, also enjoy living the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
The Neighborhood
According to an ABC News report, Biden rents a mansion in the swanky beach town for about $20,000 per month. ABC’s expert source, retired Senior Secret Service Agent Don Mihalek, says the agency has to find suitable living arrangements close to its protectee, even if market values dictate a massive expense. The six-bedroom mansion next door sits on a little less than three-quarters of an acre of prime Malibu real estate.
Mihalek said the president can choose to protect whoever he sees fit, and that law mandates the protection of the first family regardless. He notes that past administrations also received the same treatment.
Can the Cost be Justified?
Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the group Public Citizen, told ABC that Biden should cooperate with the Secret Service and open his home to them. He believes the “exorbitant cost” to the taxpayer is unjustifiable in any amount when the solution is for those receiving free protection on the taxpayers’ dime. The solution is to allow those tasked with taking a bullet for them to stay in the guestroom or, as may be in this case, the pool house.
Not a New Practice
The practice of paying an arm and a leg to protect the families of presidents is nothing new. The Left often criticized former President Donald Trump’s trips to his own properties, while
ignoring the fact that then-Vice President Joe Biden charged the Secret Service $2,200 per month to rent a cabin on his own property in Delaware.
Former President Barack Obama may not have spent much time visiting his home state, but he certainly made up for it with vacations. The Secret Service spent millions protecting that first family on lavish trips to Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii. Former President George W. Bush faced criticism for his near-weekly trips to Texas aboard Air Force One. Even Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump came under fire when their security detail rented a DC flat for $2,200. There is certainly enough scrutiny to go around.
Over the Top
While it may not seem unrealistic for a high-profile person such as Hunter Biden to rent a lush Malibu mansion by the sea, is it asking too much to force his protective detail to rent the place next door? Biden lives with his wife and daughter in a four-bedroom, three-bath mansion. Should the government be footing the bill for an extravagant home nearby?
Copyright 2022, FeaturedNews.com
