The Secret Service is paying more than $30,000 a month to rent out a Malibu mansion nearby where Hunter Biden is currently staying in order to protect him, according to ABC News.
Biden is renting a mansion for about $20,000 a month, and due to the current housing market, the Secret Service chose to pay the high rent to be as close to him as possible -- the property they're renting is next door, according to ABC News sources.
"Typically, wherever a protectee sets up their residence, the Secret Service is forced to find someplace to rent nearby at market value," Don Mihalek, Retired senior Secret Service agent and ABC News contributor, said.
Both the White House and Secret Service did not go into detail as to why or how they are protecting Biden, or any other individuals.
"Due to the need to maintain operational security, the U.S. Secret Service does not comment on the means, methods, or resources used to conduct our protective operations," the Secret Service told ABC News.
Biden has been under recent criticism for his business in Ukraine and China, while there is a federal investigation ongoing for alleged tax fraud, according to The New York Times.
According to property listings, the Secret Service's pricey "Spanish-style" mansion has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gym, a tasting room, a built-in barbecue, a pool, a spa, and many other fancy features across the 0.7 acre piece of land by the Malibu coast.
While Biden's residence is a "resort-style" mansion with an open floor plan, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It also sits on 0.7 acres with a 180-degree view of the ocean, in addition to a "spacious park-like yard" with a pool, a spa, a built-in barbecue bar, and more specialty attractions.
Biden's property sold for $3.34 million in 2019, according to TMZ, and he reportedly moved in about four months ago. Mihalek added that the Secret Service also is renting properties in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to protect President Biden.
"The Secret Service couldn't have a command post in the next town over," Mihalek said. "It'd do them no good."
It's normal for the president's immediate family to receive protection from the Secret Service, as the Biden family has been protected since Joe Biden became a presidential nominee in 2020.
The Secret Service had paid about $1.2 million at a number of different properties in order to protect former President Donald Trump and his family, according to The Washington Post. This included a hefty $650 per night charge for a room at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. They also paid roughly $17,000 to stay at a cottage at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.
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