The widow of President Biden’s late son took the stand Thursday in Hunter Biden’s trial on federal charges that he lied on federal forms about using drugs to illegally buy a gun in 2018.
Hallie Biden, who was married to Hunter Biden’s brother Beau before his death from brain cancer in 2015, was in a romantic relationship with Hunter Biden during the period he purchased the firearm.
Hallie Biden detailed Hunter Biden’s drug use during the period they were romantically involved, revealing to the jury that he introduced her to crack.
“And who introduced this to you?” a federal prosecutor asked Hallie Biden, according to the Associated Press.
“Hunter did it,” Hallie Biden responded.
“It was a terrible experience that I went through, I am embarrassed and ashamed, and I regret that period of my life,” she added.
Hallie Biden testified that when Hunter Biden smoked crack, it could make him “agitated or tense, but at other times, functioning as well.”
Federal prosecutors say Hunter Biden’s status as a “drug addict” led him to check “no” on a federal gun purchase form asking whether he illegally used or was addicted to marijuana or other narcotics.
Hallie Biden could serve as a key witness against her brother-in-law, her testimony ranging from Hunter Biden’s drug use to his decision to throw away the firearm in question outside a supermarket in Wilmington, Del., after she discovered her – a choice that precipitated the case against her late husband’s brother.
She testified Thursday that she found the gun and ammunition in the console of Hunter Biden’s truck in October 2018 and “panicked.”
“I was afraid to touch him,” Hallie Biden testified, according to the Associated Press. “I didn’t know if it was loaded.”
She said she considered hiding the gun, but was afraid her children would find it. So she stuffed the gun in a shopping bag and discarded it at an upscale supermarket near her home. Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of her throwing away the gun.
“I realize now it was a stupid idea, but I panicked,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
Federal prosecutors could rest their case against Hunter Biden as early as Thursday. Then, Hunter Biden’s lawyers will have the opportunity to present their own defense case.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers say the president’s son may have thought he was telling the truth when he marked “no” to drug addiction on the federal form. In court filings, attorney Abbe Lowell wrote that Hunter Biden had just completed an 11-day stint in rehab and was living with a sober companion when he purchased the gun, claiming he could “certainly believe he was not a user or addict at the time gift. ”
If convicted of all three charges, Hunter Biden could face a maximum of 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.
The president’s son faces separate charges in California for allegedly failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes and filing false returns, which could go to trial in September.
President Biden was in France on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. First lady Jill Biden attended Hunter Biden’s trial earlier this week but has now joined the president on the overseas trip. They are scheduled to return to Wilmington on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
