This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Claims financial distress because of a plunge in income, lagging sales of his artwork

Hunter Biden, documented by congressional investigators to be among the Biden family recipients of tens of millions of dollars in a years-long influence peddling operation while Joe Biden was vice president, then president, now is claiming financial distress.

The claims appear in his demand to drop a lawsuit that he brought against a former White House aide to President Donald Trump.

A report in the New York Post explains that Hunter Biden, 55, cited plunging sales of his artwork and his book, as well as a California fire that burned a home he was renting.

And "significant debt."

He had sued Garrett Ziegler in 2023 with a long list of claims that he illegally accessed and circulated embarrassing contents of the laptop Biden had abandoned at a repair shop.

Ziegler obtained access to the information in the abandoned computer and published it on his website Marco Polo.

Hunter Biden's legal action accused Ziegler of violating data laws by accessing "tens of thousands of emails, thousands of photos, and dozens of videos and recordings" from the laptop.

In fact, it was the details in that laptop, which have been confirmed as true, that prompted the FBI to interfered in the 2020 presidential election by falsely claiming that the information was "Russian disinformation," when it was not. The bureau told media organizations to suppress the truth, they did, and a subsequent polling showed that likely was a key factor in Joe Biden's election win that year.

"[Hunter] has suffered a significant downturn in his income and has significant debt in the millions of dollars range," his court filing states.

"While I was aware that my financial position had significantly deteriorated over time, it was not until the past month that I realized I had to take drastic actions to alleviate this situation," Hunter Biden charged.

"In the 2 to 3 years prior to December 2023, I sold 27 pieces for art at an average price of $54,481.48, but since then I have only sold 1 piece of art for $36,000. Similarly, for my book sales, in the six month period before the statements (April 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023), based on the September 30, 2023 statement, 3,161 copies of my book were sold, but in the six months after the statements, only approximately 1,100 books were sold."

Even worse, he's not getting invitations, and paychecks, to talk to people.

"Given the positive feedback and reviews of my artwork and memoir, I was expecting to obtain paid speaking engagements and paid appearances, but that has not happened," he said.

He further complained about the work he must to do fto ind another residence, as his rental was torched by the Pacific Palisades fire.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, a popular legal commentator and expert on the Constitution, was one of those who had been threatened by lawyers acting on behalf of Hunter Biden to suppress his own comments.

He explained, "Hunter spent years suggesting that the laptop images and emails might be Russian disinformation (with the help of obliging mainstream media), (but) the contents were found to be authentic by courts and agencies."

He explained, "Years ago, I wrote about how the Biden team had decided to use a scorched earth strategy to target critics. Various people, including myself, were threatened with lawsuits—actions that could drain the targets of hundreds of thousands of dollars and tie them up in court for years. In my case, I received a letter from [Bryan M.] Sullivan that I could face a defamation action if I do not retract (or if I repeat) my criticism of [lawyer Kevin] Morris's representational relationship with Hunter. I responded by immediately revealing the contents of his letter and repeating those allegations. Sullivan and Morris never sued."

Turley pointed out, "Hunter has reportedly received millions not just from alleged influence peddling over the years, but from friends in the forms of loans and support. Throughout those years, he has continued to live a relatively extravagant lifestyle. One line of income was created through his art sales. However, there were reports of a collapse in the value of Hunter's art with the departure of his father from office. With the loss in the value of his influence, there was a telling drop in the demand for his art."

He noted, "What they seem most concerned about is that Ziegler will now seek fees and costs from Hunter. (Previously, Hunter was able to secure such costs from Ziegler for a filing that the court found meritless.) The motion … provides new insights into how Hunter's financial situation has declined due to his father and his family's political influence."

Turley confirmed the filing also notes Hunter Biden may be reviewing other lawsuits "he has brought … against other targets."

Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon for Hunter for anything offense he committed over a period of some 11 years covering the time when Joe Biden was vice president and president.

Hunter Biden had been convicted of gun felonies, and had pleaded guilty to tax felonies.