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Hunter Biden Admits He Probably Only Got Burisma Job Because of His Last Name

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  October 15, 2019 8:40 AM

Hunter Biden spoke out about his work for foreign companies in a rare interview broadcast on Tuesday.

He said he regrets giving a “hook” to those who wish to hurt his father but denied any wrongdoing.

"I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. That's where I made the mistake," Biden told ABC News. "So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever."

“What I regret is not taking into account that there would be a Rudy Giuliani and a president of the United States that would be listening to this ridiculous conspiracy idea," he added.

In the interview, however, he admitted he probably would not have been offered the job at Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company in Ukraine, if his last name wasn’t Biden.

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“I don’t know. I don’t know, probably not,” he said. “You know, I don’t think there’s a lot of things that would have happened in my life if my last name wasn’t Biden.”

Biden made $50,000 per month with Burisma, despite having no background in energy, while his father was vice president helping shape policy toward Ukraine. 

When asked why he left the board in April, he said, “I think it's pretty obvious why" -- that it had become a "distraction."

“Because I have to sit here and answer these questions,” he said.

Pressed about his qualifications, Biden admitted he didn't have any knowledge about natural gas or Ukraine, but he had "as much knowledge as anybody else on the board."

The interview comes after reports that Biden is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed private equity firm. 

He has pledged to forego working with foreign companies if his father is elected president.