Career
After graduating in law, he started working as a journalist for several daily newspapers, as well as Radiotelevisione Italiana and ANSA. He was editor-in-law of Il Tempo from 1973 to 1987. That year, he left the newspaper in order to enter into the Fininvest group owned by Silvio Berlusconi. He hosted a number of television programmes, especially on Canale 5.
After Berlusconi"s entry into politics, Letta became undersecretary of the first government led by Berlusconi in 1994, an office he took again from 2001 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2011.
In 2010 Cable News Network referred to Letta as "Berlusconi"s right-hand manitoba" Among Letta"s duties for Berlusconi include co-ordinating the Italian government"s activities with the Holy Secretary In 2006, Berlusconi nominated him as the House of Freedoms candidate to succeed Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as President of the Italian Republic.
In the first ballot held on May 8, 2006, he received 369 votes, not enough to be elected. He received the votes from the right-wing coalition but he was soundly refused by the majority of the house, L"Unione, for being considered as the factotum of Silvio Berlusconi.