(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Joe Biden delivered his speech at the DNC on Monday and immediately departed for a five-day vacation at the California ranch of Iranian billionaire and Democratic donor Joe Kiani.
The ranch, valued at $37 million, spans 8,000 acres and features six bedrooms, rolling hills, and a pool with blue-emerald-colored water. According to the New York Post, Biden’s stay at the property comes at no cost to him.
This vacation followed Biden’s delayed speech at the DNC, where he witnessed Vice President Kamala Harris reaping the benefits of his party apparatus after his forced exit from the 2024 ticket. First Lady Jill Biden, Hunter, Ashley and Biden’s six grandchildren are also accompanying him on the vacation.
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Biden is no stranger to staying at the multi-million dollar homes of donors and allies.
His recent stay at Kiani’s ranch adds to a growing list of luxurious getaways, including properties in Lake Tahoe, California; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Nantucket Island, Massachusetts; and Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The combined value of these properties totals nearly $80 million, reported the New York Post in 2023.
Kiani, described by the White House as a “friend,” is the CEO of Masimo, a medical technology company founded in 1989 that now serves over 200 million people. He has a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Forbes.
Kiani’s ties to Biden have come under scrutiny from House Republicans, who raised concerns that Kiani was “benefiting from his political contributions” to the president, according to a letter to the White House.
🚨@RepRalphNorman & Oversight Republicans raise concerns over reports the Biden Administration is inappropriately awarding taxpayer-funded govt. contracts and loans to political allies with a history of donating to Democrats and @POTUS 's 2020 campaign.https://t.co/lDcp77ndS2
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) April 21, 2022
Fueling their concerns is the fact that Kiani gave over $1 million to the Biden Foundation in 2017. The billionaire donor also gave $750,000 to the Biden-affiliated Unite the Country super PAC and $1 million to the Biden Inaugural Committee.
After Biden’s inauguration, the federal government awarded Kiani nearly $3 million in federal contracts from the Biden-led departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs.
In a letter to Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, twelve Republicans wrote, “While Masimo has received government contracts in previous Administrations, Mr. Kiani’s close ties to President Biden, including an appointment to a White House board creates the appearance that he is benefiting from his political contributions.”
Kiani was born in Iran and emigrated to the U.S. at the age of nine, according to Forbes. He graduated high school at 15 and later attended San Diego State University, studying electrical engineering. At 24, he launched Masimo, the company that contributed to his billion-dollar net worth.
