Hunter Biden asked for help from the U.S. government for a potential energy project in Italy while his father was vice president, according to newly released records. The documents show that Hunter Biden reached out 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 were hesitant about the request from the son of the vice president on behalf of a foreign company, and a Commerce Department official advised caution in promising too much.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer stated that his client only requested an introduction between Burisma and the president of the Tuscany region of Italy for a geothermal project, and no meeting or project materialized. The State Department did not release the actual text of the letter Hunter Biden wrote to the U.S. ambassador.
The release of these documents came shortly after President Biden dropped out of the presidential race and as his son faces tax evasion charges related to income from Burisma and other foreign businesses. Hunter Biden has not been charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but prosecutors indicated they had evidence of his outreach to the State Department on behalf of a different foreign client.
The State Department’s slow release of public records has led to criticism, with some suggesting that the timing of the release of documents related to Hunter Biden’s outreach to the U.S. Embassy in Italy was strategic. However, the State Department maintains that the timing was coincidental and not politically motivated. The records are likely to fuel suspicions among Republicans, who have long criticized Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.
The outreach to the U.S. Embassy in Rome on behalf of Burisma was done at the request of the company, which was facing challenges with securing regulatory approval for a geothermal energy project in Tuscany. Emails found on Hunter Biden’s laptop indicate that his associate reached out to an Italian businessman with ties to the president of the Tuscany regional government to facilitate a meeting to discuss the project.
Despite the outreach, it is unclear if the U.S. Embassy actively supported Burisma’s efforts in Italy. The contents of Hunter Biden’s letter to the U.S. ambassador remain redacted, with the State Department citing privacy and deliberative process exemptions. The ambassador stated that he did not recall receiving the letter from Hunter Biden and emphasized the importance of avoiding involvement in such matters.