Nevada officials are currently conducting an investigation into billionaire Tom Steyer for alleged violations of a local housing law. This investigation comes in response to the White House’s statement that President Biden is staying at Mr. Steyer’s magnificent $18 million Lake Tahoe mansion for a duration of eight nights.
On Friday, Biden arrived at a waterfront property accompanied by his family, including his son Hunter, who has faced controversy. An administration official clarified that the first family was renting the home at fair market value. This decision was made in response to previous negative media coverage regarding the president’s prior unpaid vacations at the residences of wealthy Democrats.
Vacation homes in Douglas County, Nevada, are required to obtain permits according to local government regulations. Recently, several residents of this predominantly Republican county have lodged complaints regarding this matter. In a statement initially reported by the Nevada Globe, Ernie Strehlow, the head of code enforcement for Douglas County, stated, “We have received multiple inquiries concerning this address. As we actively investigate any potential code violations related to rental properties in Douglas County, Nevada, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
Strehlow, the program manager overseeing the county’s vacation home rentals division, confirmed to The Post that the alleged rental of the president is currently under investigation.
The county government’s policies state: “The owners of any property being advertised and/or operated as an unpermitted vacation home rental located anywhere within Douglas County in violation Douglas County Code and the Nevada Revised Statutes may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $20,000.”
The rental rate that Biden intended to pay for the property remains unclear, as does the possibility of independently verifying the transaction terms without voluntary disclosure.
After leaving Nevada, Biden headed to Hawaii, where he made a tone-deaf claim.
Biden says “Jill and I have a little sense of what it’s like to lose a home” and then tells the story of when lightning struck his house in 2004 and says “I almost lost my ’67 corvette and my cat.”
According to a report from the time, the lighting strike caused “a small fire… pic.twitter.com/V8IBfoZuEW
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 22, 2023
