Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial resumed Wednesday in Wilmington, Del., where his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhleand ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan were called by the prosecution to testify about their drug use.
President Biden’s 54-year-old son faces three criminal charges for lying about his crack addiction when applying to purchase a firearm six years ago. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Biden falsely claimed he was not a drug user on the application and illegally possessed the gun for 11 days. He faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if he is found guilty of all three charges.
Here’s what happened in court on Wednesday.
Hunter Biden’s ex-wife took a stand
Buhle was called to the stand after the prosecution’s first witness, FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen, concluded her testimony.
Under direct questioning, Buhle, who has been married to Biden for more than two decades, testified that she first learned of his drug use in July 2015, when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on the side porch of her home.
Buhle said he found drugs in Biden’s car multiple times — including in 2018, the year he purchased the gun — and that he would check his car for paraphernalia before his daughters used it. She described his behavior at the time as “angry” and “angry.”
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, Buhle admitted that he didn’t know exactly when he checked Biden’s car and found drug paraphernalia — and that he never witnessed him taking drugs.
Biden’s ex-girlfriend testifies that she helped him buy drugs
Zoe Kestan, Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend, was called to the witness stand by prosecutors after Buhle. Kestan recalled how she met Hunter in December 2017 at a gentlemen’s club where she worked.
Kestan said she found Biden “charming”, playing a Fleet Foxes song for her when the music was turned off in the club.
That same night, she said she saw him smoking what she assumed was crack cocaine from a pipe.
As their relationship progressed, Kestan testified that Biden’s crack use became more frequent and that she once witnessed him smoking “every 20 minutes or so.”
Kestan also testified that she helped him buy drugs, bringing a drug dealer to meet him at his hotel and using his mobile banking app to withdraw money from an ATM.
First Lady Jill Biden is in court again today
First Lady Jill Biden returned to court for the third day in a row to support Hunter Biden.
Jill Biden left Tuesday’s proceedings early to return to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual Congressional Picnic at the White House. But she was back in federal court in Wilmington, Del., on Thursday morning.
Hunter Biden’s current wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and younger sister, Ashley Biden, were also in court to support him this week.
President Biden does not plan to attend the trial, but released a rare statement Monday about the case.
“I am the president, but I am also a father,” Biden said. “Jill and I love our son and are so proud of the man he is today.”
Jury selection concluded Monday with 12 jurors and four alternates seated after being asked about their relationships with people struggling with addiction. One juror was dismissed before opening arguments on Tuesday.
Hunter Biden’s trial comes just days after former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up a secret payment to a porn star whose alleged affair with him threatened to torpedo his 2016 election campaign.
