Hunter Biden contacted US ambassador in 2016 over Burisma deal, NYT reports
WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) -Hunter Biden reached out to the U.S. ambassador to Italy while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president in 2016 amid efforts to pursue a geothermal project at the Ukrainian company Burisma, where Hunter Biden served on the board, according to a New York Times report, citing records the newspaper obtained.
Hunter Biden wrote at least one letter that year to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Rome on behalf of Burisma, an energy company, the newspaper reported.
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Hunter Biden and others asked Ambassador John Phillips and others for introductions to the president of Italy's Tuscany region, where the company was weighing projects.
"No meeting occurred, no project materialized, no request for anything in the U.S. was ever sought, and only an introduction in Italy was requested," Lowell said in a statement. "The letter, as well as those written by others at Burisma, sought nothing more than an introduction, as hundreds of businesses do every year to ambassadors and embassies."
An unnamed person involved in the effort also said the project never materialized, according to the Times, which said it was unclear whether the U.S. Embassy in Italy took any steps on behalf of Burisma.
Hunter Biden has not been charged with violating federal law on foreign lobbying. Republicans have raised unproven claims that President Biden, Hunter Biden and other family members engaged in financial misconduct, allegations the White House denies.
Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the reported Italian outreach. A White House spokesman told the Times that Joe Biden as vice president was unaware of his son's efforts at the time.
Burisma did not comment to the Times on the report, which comes after Joe Biden announced last month that he would not seek reelection as president.
Phillips, the then-ambassador, told the Times that he received many letters and did not recall one specifically from Hunter Biden, adding that he would not "necessarily" have encouraged a response from himself to avoid fueling an appearance of special treatment.
Tuscany's regional president at the time, Enrico Rossi, told the Times he never met Hunter Biden and did not recall the U.S. embassy contacting him about Burisma's planned work.
Separately, Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to criminal tax charges and is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 5.
Prosecutors in that tax case last week accused Hunter Biden of accepting payments from a Romanian businessman who sought to "influence U.S. government agencies" in connection with a criminal probe in Romania. Biden's new counsel in that case, Mark Geragos, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Hunter Biden faces sentencing Nov. 13 in another case after a being convicted on charges of lying about his illegal drug use to buy a gun.
Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Leslie Adler
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.