Recently, The New York Times reported that Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, reached out to the U.S. government for support on behalf of a Ukrainian energy firm while his father served as vice president. This information surfaced from documents released by the Biden administration, alongside interviews with government officials.
The communication in question was a letter Hunter sent in 2016 to the U.S. ambassador to Italy, in which he requested assistance for a potential energy project involving Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company where he held a board position.
Republican lawmakers have accused President Biden of engaging in bribery regarding foreign affairs during his vice presidency under Barack Obama. They are particularly focused on Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma as part of an ongoing impeachment inquiry. However, there’s no evidence that Joe Biden accepted any bribes while in office.
According to The Times, U.S. Embassy officials in Rome were cautious in their response to Hunter’s request. A Commerce Department official stated, “I want to be careful about promising too much,” emphasizing that the U.S. should avoid lobbying the Italian government without involving the Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center, which helps American firms with foreign dealings.
Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, clarified that Hunter merely sought introductions to Italian officials for the project and explicitly stated that no meetings or requests for U.S. assistance occurred.
In reaction to the report, GOP representatives shared their thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the timing of the document release shortly after President Biden exited the 2024 presidential race. Some suggested there was a correlation, pointing out how the Biden administration’s documents came to light just after Biden’s withdrawal.
On the flip side, supporters of President Biden dismissed the implications of the report, with conservative lawyer George Conway humorously remarking about the lack of wrongdoing by the president or his son.
Separately, Hunter Biden recently faced a conviction on three felony firearm charges for lying about his drug use when buying a gun in 2018. He is set to be sentenced on November 13, with potential prison time, though many experts believe incarceration is unlikely for a first-time offender.
Additionally, he faces federal tax charges for not paying taxes on earnings from Burisma and other international companies, with a trial set in Los Angeles next month. Federal prosecutors have indicated plans to call a business associate to testify about Hunter’s requests for U.S. government help in deflecting bribery accusations against a Romanian businessman during his father’s vice presidency. However, they do not intend to pursue charges against him under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).