© MLS.comHunter Biden's Malibu crib
A former Secret Service agent told ABC News the setup is the "cost of doing business" for the agency, since Hunter — like other presidential family members — is entitled to round-the-clock security.
"Typically, wherever a protectee sets up their residence, the Secret Service is forced to find someplace to rent nearby at market value," retired agent Don Mihalek told the network, adding that the agency also rents properties at Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, as part of its duty to protect President Biden on his frequent weekend trips home.
© Stephen YangHunter Biden, like other presidential family members, is entitled to round-the-clock security.
Hunter Biden, who has come under intense scrutiny for his business dealings in Ukraine and China and is under investigation by the feds for allegations of tax fraud, has been whiling away his time over the past year in luxury digs that cost about $20,000 a month.
Hunter Biden, like other presidential family members, is entitled to round-the-clock security.Stephen Yang Hunter Biden's "resort-style" home, center, includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms, an open floor plan and a chef's kitchen.Google Earth
The "resort-style" home includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms, an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, and a chef's kitchen, ABC reported, citing the property's online listing.
The mansion, located on nearly an acre atop a hill in the coastal community, features a "spacious park-like yard" with a pool, a spa, and a built-in barbecue bar. The listing also touts the home's "enchanting" 180-degree panoramic ocean views.
The first son's federal security detail are reportedly ensconced next door in a Spanish-style estate that has its own "gorgeous ocean views," as well as six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gym, a tasting room, a built-in barbecue, a pool and a spa. The property is about a mille away from the ocean, according to TMZ.
A spiral staircase in the luxury home leads up a "castle-like tower to the master retreat with wet bar," the listing says, adding that the home provides "resort style living at its finest" and is "a perfect retreat for discerning clientele."
© Carolyn Kaster/AP“Wherever a protectee sets up their residence, the Secret Service is forced to find someplace to rent nearby at market value,” a retired Secret Service agent explained.
The Post revealed Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and China in a series of reports in October 2020 after obtaining the hard drive of a laptop the first son left behind at a computer repair shop in Delaware in April 2019.
It included a treasure trove of emails and documents about how Hunter Biden was paid as much as $50,000 a month to sit on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, and how he introduced executives of the company to his father when he was vice president in the Obama administration.
Other news outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, initially questioned the authenticity of the laptop, and a group of 51 former US intelligence officials cautioned that it might contain Russian misinformation.
In recent weeks, however, both newspapers confirmed the existence of the laptop and reported on the continuing investigation into Hunter Biden.
The Secret Service sought an additional $60 million in funding to protect then-President Donald Trump and his family in the first year of his administration, the Washington Post reported at the time.
The agency also provided protection for Trump and his family members at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and the Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, New Jersey.
Agents also accompanied his children, including adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, on overseas trips during their father's term.
During the Obama administration, the 44th president's two daughters lived in the White House, but the family often vacationed in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and took family trips to Hawaii during the Christmas holidays.
© Public Citizen/FlickrCraig Holman, of the Public Citizen watchdog group
"Hunter should recognize the exorbitant cost of his own protection in the exclusive Malibu neighborhood, and cooperate with the Secret Service to bring down the expenses," Holman said.
"A cost of $30,000 a month for the Secret Service to rent a home in Malibu next to Hunter is an unconscionable burden to taxpayers, all for the personal benefit of Hunter Biden," he added. "Hunter should realize this and accommodate his security detail in his own home."
Comment: Secret Service on site? That might cramp Hunter's style.