Joe Biden and his household got tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in items from overseas leaders in 2023, in keeping with an annual accounting revealed by the state division on Thursday, with the primary woman, Jill Biden, receiving the only most costly current: a $20,000 diamond from India’s chief.
The 7.5-carat diamond from the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was simply the most expensive present introduced to any member of the primary household in 2023, though she additionally acquired a brooch valued at $14,063 from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US and a bracelet, brooch and {photograph} album value $4,510 from the president and first woman of Egypt.
The US president himself acquired quite a few useful presents, together with a commemorative picture album valued at $7,100 from South Korea’s lately impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from the sultan of Brunei, a $3,160 sterling silver tray from the president of Israel and a collage value $2,400 from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Federal regulation requires govt department officers to declare items they obtain from overseas leaders and counterparts which have an estimated worth of greater than $480.
Lots of the items that meet that threshold are comparatively modest, and the costlier ones are sometimes – however not all the time – transferred to the Nationwide Archives or placed on official shows.
The $20,000 diamond was retained for official use within the White Home East Wing, in keeping with a state division doc, whereas the opposite items to the president and first woman had been despatched to the archives. Recipients even have the choice to purchase the items from the US authorities at their market worth, though that’s uncommon, notably with high-end objects.
In keeping with the state division’s workplace of protocol, which compiles the checklist that will likely be revealed in Friday’s version of the Federal Register, a number of workers of the CIA reported receiving lavish items of watches, fragrance and jewellery, almost all of which had been destroyed. Of the items destroyed, they had been value greater than $132,000 mixed.
The CIA director, William Burns, acquired a $18,000 astrograph, which is a telescope and astrological digital camera, from an overseas supply whose id is classed. That’s being transferred to the Normal Providers Administration. However Burns reported receiving and destroying an $11,000 Omega watch, whereas quite a few others did the identical with luxurious timepieces.
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