President Joe Biden's son Hunter tried to get assistance from the United States on a project in Italy by Burisma Energy, a Ukrainian company in which he had a financial stake, when his father was vice president, according to a New York Times report Tuesday.
Specifically, Burisma sought approval for a geothermal project in the Tuscany region, which led the then-vice president's son to ask around for favors from U.S. government officials.
According to records, only just released by the Biden administration, "Hunter Biden wrote at least one letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy in 2016 seeking assistance for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where he was a board member. Embassy officials appear to have been uneasy with the request from the son of the sitting vice president on behalf of a foreign company."
One official reportedly said, “This is a Ukrainian company and, purely to protect ourselves, U.S.G. should not be actively advocating with the government of Italy without the company going through the D.O.C. Advocacy Center.”
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There is no evidence that Joe Biden was aware of his son's effort, or assisted in any way.
Conservative never-Trump lawyer George Conway dismissed the news as overhyped in a post on X.
"HUGE EARTH-SHATTERING BREAKING NEWS: In 2016 Obama administration officials properly took no action on a request from Hunter Biden to the U.S. embassy in Italy that his father knew absolutely nothing about. Now I’m *definitely* not voting for Hunter. And — just to be on the safe side — I’m definitely *also* not voting for Joe Biden even though there is no evidence or suggestion he did anything wrong. I’m just going to have to find another candid— … oh, wait!"
Hunter Biden and his international business dealings have been a years-long focus of investigation by House Republicans, who have tried to find evidence the elder Biden was involved in these schemes or laundered bribes through them. No such evidence has emerged, even though the GOP-controlled House pushed through an impeachment inquiry that appears to be headed nowhere.
As all this has been going on, Hunter Biden, who has suffered from substance abuse issues for much of his life, is facing prosecution for both tax offenses and unlawful efforts to obtain a firearm.
