In 2016, during the timeline of the Obama administration, Hunter Biden, who then served on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, requested the assistance of the American government for the expansion of the company’s operations into Italy. His father, at the time, assumed an influential position as the vice president of the United States. There have been speculations for a significant period concerning Hunter Biden, now a person with a criminal record, exploiting his father’s White House role to secure profitable foreign business deals.
This issue was brought to light recently by a report by The New York Times. The newspaper uncovered details about documents related to Hunter Biden’s request, papers that had been kept under wraps from the public gaze for quite some time. These records were revealed late last month by the Biden-Harris State Department. However, the letter’s actual content, a crucial piece of evidence, has been held back by the State Department.
Ironically, the uncovering of these documents occurred as a result of the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA, a plea lodged by the newspaper in June 2021. When the State Department failed to disclose the sought-after records, this prompted a lawsuit eight months later. Subsequently, the State Department attempted to conclude the case by revealing a large repository of documents, none of which had any connection with Hunter Biden’s reported engagement with the U.S. government.
The Times then went on to question the completeness and authenticity of the department’s inquiry. The concerns raised were due to the failure of the department to produce records believed to be stored in Hunter Biden’s laptop. Furthermore, the State Department seemingly continued to slow down the process until the release of these documents on July 26.
What is noteworthy is that this release of documents only transpired five days after Biden declared he was withdrawing from the presidential candidature. This decision came against the backdrop of polling that painted a dismal picture for Biden, with a significant lead for former President Donald Trump.
From the disclosed records, it’s clear that Hunter Biden had penned at least one letter to John R. Phillips, the U.S. ambassador to Italy at the time. The purpose was to coordinate a meeting between Burisma and the president of Tuscany, a known region within Italy.
Furthermore, Hunter Biden is slated to face a trial next month, concerning another legal complication. This case involves allegations about the evasion of tax payments on large sums of money reportedly earned from Burisma and other overseas entities.
It was reported that federal prosecutors may consider adding charges against the president’s son under the Foreign Agents Registration Act or FARA. The enforcement of this act is due to Hunter Biden’s lobbying efforts towards the U.S. government without an official registration on record.
The State Department’s previously undisclosed emails revealed this information. The records were released following a separate request for public document access, pertaining to Hunter Biden’s communications with officials at the U.S. Embassy in Romania. The topic of discussion revolved around aiding a real estate developer.
In July 2016, an email exchange took place between Hunter Biden’s business associate, Eric Schwerin, and Enrico Rossi, Tuscany’s regional government’s president. The former mentioned that Burisma’s executives were hopeful for a meeting with the president to chat about their prospective geothermal business operations in Tuscany.
The letter that Hunter Biden penned was attached to this email exchange. However, the State Department redacted the message in its entirety, thereby withholding critical details. A notable comment was made by an official from the U.S. Commerce Department.
As per this official’s assertion, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy had already addressed one of Hunter Biden’s emails, leading to the perception that there was a ‘shopping for more support than he already got.’ The State Department’s stance on this matter remains unclear.
Despite these efforts, Burisma’s intended project in Tuscany never took off. The timeline of these events coincides with the fact that it remains uncertain whether the U.S. Embassy ever actively pursued Burisma’s cause.
As the story unveils, the full scope and details of Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma continue to materialize, bringing to light potential misuse of power and instances of ethically questionable dealings. The lesson to learn here is that transparency and proper checks must be in place to prevent such dealings and guard our democratic institutions.