Hunter Biden sought State Department assistance for foreign company while Joe was VP: report

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Hunter Biden reportedly sought assistance from the U.S. government for a lucrative energy project in Italy when President Biden was serving as vice president, highlighting allegations that he used his father's political standing as leverage for his foreign business interests.

The younger Biden wrote at least one letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy in 2016 seeking assistance for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where he was a board member, according to newly released records and interviews cited by the New York Times.

The response was lukewarm, as officials were somewhat hesitant to help with a request from the son of a sitting vice president on behalf of a foreign company.

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"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," an official wrote.

The acronyms refer to the United States government and a Department of Commerce program that supports American companies that seek business with foreign governments.

"I want to be careful about promising too much," wrote a Commerce Department official based in the U.S. Embassy in Rome who responded.

Hunter Biden asked several people if they could arrange an introduction between