Hunter Biden sought and received diplomatic assistance from the Obama administration for a Ukrainian energy firm's subsidiary, according to newly surfaced 2016 correspondence published Friday. The revelation adds to a mounting trove of records House Republicans argue illustrate years of influence peddling tied to his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden.
In a July 2016 letter, then-U.S. Ambassador to Italy John Phillips responded to Hunter Biden's request to facilitate a meeting between Burisma Holdings' geothermal subsidiary and the president of Tuscany, Enrico Rossi. "Though the amount of direct support we can provide to a Ukrainian company is limited, I've asked [a commercial officer] to be the point of contact, see where our interests may overlap, and facilitate contact with Mr. Rossi," Phillips wrote.
The ambassador's message was a direct reply to a letter from Hunter Biden sent one month earlier in which he requested "support and guidance in arranging a meeting for representatives from Burisma with the President of Tuscany Region." Hunter referenced a recent visit to Rome, which Phillips interpreted as a November 2015 trip with the then-vice president.
A spokesperson for Hunter Biden told The New York Times the reference was merely a "heartfelt appreciation for courtesy and comfort" shown by Phillips. Hunter, who joined Burisma's board in 2014 despite lacking energy-sector experience, has admitted he "probably not" would have been hired if he weren't Joe Biden's son.
At the time, Joe Biden was overseeing the Obama administration's Ukraine portfolio. His use of $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees to pressure the Ukrainian government to oust prosecutor Viktor Shokin-whose office had previously investigated Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky-has become a central point of Republican scrutiny.
"This is yet another example of the Biden family's playbook," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said in a statement. "then-Vice President Joe Biden lets Hunter hitch a ride on Air Force Two, where he cozies up to U.S. and foreign officials and cashes in on the Biden name."
Comer added, "This appears to be a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and he should be held accountable."
The geothermal unit's project in Italy, seen as an effort to give Burisma a green image amid scrutiny over its Russian ties, may also have involved Vitali Klitschko, the former world heavyweight champion and current Kyiv mayor. Hunter Biden's laptop records described Klitschko as a "core shareholder" in the venture, though Klitschko has denied any role.
Sworn testimony from Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter's, stated that Hunter called his father during a December 2015 meeting in Dubai with Zlochevsky and Burisma board adviser Vadym Pozharskyi. Days later, Joe Biden would accelerate efforts to remove Shokin.
In January 2016, National Security Council official Eric Ciamarella expressed surprise in an email over the pending dismissal, writing, "Yikes. I don't recall this coming up in our meeting with them on Tuesday."
A now-confirmed April 2015 dinner at Washington's Café Milano, where then-Vice President Biden met Pozharskyi, further complicates denials that Biden had no contact with his son's business partners.
