(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A newly released letter shows former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, lobbying the U.S. ambassador to Italy to intervene in foreign business dealings on behalf of Burisma—a potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Hunter sent the June 2016 letter to Ambassador John R. Phillips, just months after Hunter visited Rome with his father, who was then vice president.
In it, Hunter personally sought “support and guidance” from Phillips to help Burisma navigate regulatory roadblocks in Tuscany.
At the time, Hunter had no official business role, solely using his father’s power in what Republicans have long decried as an influence-peddling scheme.
“It was great seeing you in Rome recently,” Hunter began the letter, as reported first by the liberal New York Times. Hunter had traveled to Italy at least twice with Joe Biden, staying at the ambassador’s taxpayer-funded mansion.
Phillips rushed to Hunter’s defense in remarks to The Times—which for years refused the Biden scandals—saying he did not see the letter as Hunter using his father to help Burisma.
For his part, an attorney for Hunter claimed the letter was a “proper request, which was no different that [sic] hundreds of similar requests for introductions that businesses make to ambassadors every year.”
Despite attempts to dismiss the letter’s significance, the Biden administration fought for years to refuse its release. Then, President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025.
In the letter, Hunter wrote that Burisma was “experiencing certain difficulties obtaining authorizations that are issued by regional authorities” to operate in Tuscany. He specifically requested a meeting with then-Tuscany President Enrico Rossi.
“This would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce geothermal projects led by Burisma Group, to highlight their social and economic benefits for local communities and develop a common action plan that would lead to further development of the Tuscany Region,” Hunter added.
In response to Hunter, Phillips said he had a “good working relationship” with Rossi and tasked a Commerce Department official at the embassy “to be the point of contact, see where our interests may overlap, and facilitate contact with Mr. Rossi.”
According to earlier reporting by The Times, that Commerce official expressed concerns about the request, writing in an internal communication, “I want to be careful about promising too much.”
The official added, “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.”
