Biden staying at $37M 'donor' friend's ranch whose appointment to advisory board raised concerns: Report

SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA: President Joe Biden and his family are on a five-day vacation at the $37 million house of a wealthy donor whose nomination to a federal advisory board raised ethical questions. The White House has described the businessman as a "friend," suggesting that he will be staying at no cost.

Following his heartfelt, late-night farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, August 19, Joe Kiani, the CEO of the medical technology company Masimo, invited Biden, 81, to his ranch in Santa Ynez, California.

Joe Kiani poured cash into supporting Joe Biden’s political campaigns 

After contributing heavily to Joe Biden's political campaigns and family foundation, 59-year-old Joe Kiani was appointed in September 2021 to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a body that provides policy advice to the executive branch on matters pertaining to Kiani's firm. The 12.5-square-mile, 8,000-acre ranch has a swimming pool, six bedrooms, and rolling hills.

First son Hunter Biden, 54, first daughter Ashley Biden, 43, their spouses and six of the president’s grandchildren accompanied the first couple on the trip.

Joe Kiani was previously blamed to benefit from his political contributions

In a letter dated April 20, 2022, House Republicans expressed concerns on "the appearance that [Kiani] is benefiting from his political contributions" to White House budget director Shalanda Young.

“Mr Kiani is a prolific Democratic donor, contributing over $1 million to the Biden Foundation in 2017, $750,000 to the pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country, and $1 million to the Biden Inaugural Committee,” said the letter signed by a dozen House Republicans, including organizer Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky).

It added, “In addition to receiving an appointment to PCAST, Mr Kiani’s company Masimo has received nearly $3 million in federal government contracts since January 2021. Several agencies, including the US Department of Defense, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs have awarded contracts to Masimo.”

Joe Kiani's company makes a variety of medical patient monitoring devices

Masimo manufactures a range of wearable watch-style health-tracking wristbands, home baby monitor cameras, and medical patient monitoring devices that detect blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. The company has exceeded $2 billion in yearly revenue, and its stock is traded on the Nasdaq.

In addition to the advisory board appointment, Biden gave Kiani tickets to the December 2022 White House state dinner featuring French President Emmanuel Macron — granting him access to the gathering of trans-Atlantic business and cultural elite.

At a September 2023 event in San Francisco for the advisory board, Biden hailed Kiani for “finding and implementing solutions to reduce medical errors and other problems for patients’ experiences when hospitalized is going to improve health outcomes and protect our loved ones as well."

“Joe Kiani knows a lot about that — been working with it a long, long time,” the president said, according to New York Post. Forbes estimates that Kiani is worth $1.1 billion.

Internet calls out Joe Biden as he enjoys his time in his friend's lavish ranch

Netizens scorned Joe Biden for not attending the DNC this week and enjoying his staycation in California in his 'donor' friend's ranch. One X user tweeted, "What about the millions he took from foreign governments? Biden is the definition of political corruption." Another added, "Since he has no ethics it shouldn’t be a problem."

"He showered with his daughter. He's a child molester. Nothing is beneath him. Again, he forced his daughter to shower with him," remarked one. Someone else wrote, "Can we all agree that Biden, who preaches integrity, is pretty shady? Yes, yes, Trump is shady but let’s not pretend like Biden is Mother Teresa. He is a big crook just like Trump."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.