His eldest son, Hunter Biden, who detailed his struggles with drug addiction in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” is currently on trial in Delaware on charges of making false statements on federal forms and three counts related to an allegation that he illegally possessed a weapon for a short period in late 2018. The third day of the trial concluded with testimony from Biden’s two ex-wives, an FBI agent and a former gun store employee who sold a gun to Biden.
‘Illegal use or addiction’: Biden allegedly lied on ATF documents
On October 12, 2018, Hunter Biden visited StarQuest Shooters in Wilmington, Delaware, and purchased a Colt revolver with cash. As part of the purchase, Biden had to fill out a form required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that asked several questions about his drug use.
like that question The form asks buyers if they are “unlawful users of, or addicted to, marijuana, sedatives, stimulants, narcotics, or other controlled substances” – a question Biden had checked in the “no” box on his form.
Buhle claimed Biden tried to hide his drug addiction from friends and family, but became “irritable” and “short-tempered” whenever he was under the influence of drugs.
Prosecutors have previously sought to prove that Biden was abusing street drugs, specifically crack, at the time he bought the weapons and therefore lied when he claimed on paper that he was not a drug addict.
Biden’s lawyers, however, argue that Biden was abusing alcohol at the time, rather than crack or other illegal drugs, and that Biden didn’t consider himself an addict at the time he bought the gun, so he didn’t lie, CNN reported. report.
‘We found a crack pipe’: Two ex-lovers take the stand
Two of Biden’s former girlfriends testified for the prosecution on Wednesday: his ex-wife, Kathleen Buehl, and his ex-girlfriend, Zoe Kestan. Buehl was subpoenaed and Kestan agreed to testify under an immunity agreement.
Buhle and Biden were married for nearly 25 years, from 1993 to 2017, and have three daughters. Buhle said Biden had considered entering rehab as early as 2003 and was fired from the Navy in 2014 for suspected cocaine use, but said on the stand that she became particularly concerned after “finding a crack pipe in an ashtray on his porch.” [their] We opened our “home” in July 2015.
Buhl later testified that she found drugs and drug paraphernalia in Biden’s car on multiple occasions and had to remove the items multiple times in an attempt to hide Biden’s drug problem from his daughters. Buhl claimed that Biden tried to hide his drug addiction from friends and family, but would become “irritable” and “short-tempered” whenever he was under the influence of drugs.
Buhle also claimed that the couple had been going to therapy to try to resolve their issues, though Biden had moved out shortly after discovering the crack pipes. During therapy sessions, she claimed, the couple discussed Biden’s drug use. However, she maintained that she didn’t consider the couple to have officially split up “until she found out about the affair.”
Under cross-examination, Buhle acknowledged that he had never personally seen Biden use drugs.
Meanwhile, Kestan, who met Biden while working at a strip club in late 2017, claimed she frequently saw Biden using crack cocaine.
But she said Biden wasn’t using drugs as frequently at the beginning of their relationship because they were “focused on each other.” She claimed Biden even told her it was a “distraction” she appreciated to get away from his drug addiction.
But the extent of Biden’s addiction soon became apparent: During their meetings in the spring and summer of 2018, she claimed, Biden was using crack cocaine “every 20 minutes or so.”
“Do drug dealers accept credit cards?”
During that time, she said, she was frequently asked to support Biden’s addiction by meeting with dealers or going to ATMs to collect money for drug purchases. In May 2018, Biden even asked her to clean up his hotel room after mixing crack cocaine the night before. That day, Kestan took photos of the hotel room and claimed Biden was “very upset” that he had left her to clean up the mess. The photos were shown in open court.
By the time the two were living together in Biden’s rented home in Malibu, Kestan had had enough and decided to move back to New York. She left on either September 22 or 23, 2018, but she claims Biden continued to use crack cocaine regularly. Biden continued to actively abuse drugs in the weeks leading up to the gun purchase, according to her testimony.
Kestan repeatedly described Biden as “charming” despite his inappropriate demands and drug use.
“Everybody loved him,” she insisted.
His deceased brother’s wife, an FBI agent, and a drug dealer named “Mookie.”
Though she did not testify at Biden’s trial, Hallie Biden, the widow of Biden’s late brother Beau, who had a romantic relationship with Hunter after her husband’s death, made an indirect appearance in court this week when FBI Special Agent Erica Jensen read out text messages that Hunter Biden sent to Hallie in October 2018 that suggested he was buying and using drugs.
In one message, Biden told Harry he was meeting with a drug dealer named “Mookie” at a baseball field near Wilmington, and in another he said he was sleeping in his car parked in downtown Wilmington, smoking crack cocaine.
On cross-examination, Biden’s lawyer, Abe Lowell, forced Jensen to admit that he didn’t personally know if Biden actually did those things or if he only told Harry that he did. When Lowell asked Jensen if he even knew if Mookie was a real person, Jensen replied that he didn’t.
In cross-examining Jensen, Lowell noted that while there was ample credit card and receipt evidence showing Biden’s alcoholism in October 2018, and photographs and statements showing his drug addiction around that month, there was little evidence he was high on drugs when he bought the guns.
Prosecutor Derek Hines indirectly pointed out that drug buyers often pay with cash to avoid leaving behind evidence. “Do drug dealers accept credit cards?” he asked Jensen.
“Not in my experience,” she replied.
‘That’s the only way’: Former gun shop employee recalls Hunter’s visit
Finally, Gordon Cleveland, a former employee of StarQuest Shooters, the company that sold Biden’s guns, took the stand for the prosecution.
Cleveland claims he didn’t know it was Biden when he walked into the store, but after Biden explained what he was looking for, he was able to present him with several options, with Biden ultimately deciding on the Colt.
Cleveland denied that the box on Biden’s form had already been checked.
Cleveland also recalled walking Biden through ammunition options, acknowledging that when he worked at the store, he would often encourage gun buyers to also buy ammunition.
“If you’re going to buy a gun, you might as well buy the ammo, because what are you going to do? Throw it at someone?” he joked.
Lowell has previously argued in court that sections of Biden’s ATF application were already checked when he filled it out, pointing to different color pens and seemingly different handwriting used on the form as evidence.
But Cleveland denied that boxes on Biden’s form had already been checked and claimed he personally saw Biden fill out the form, which included drug-related questions.
anything else?
The prosecution claims it has six more witnesses, but none of them are expected to testify at length, so the defense is preparing to call its first witness as early as Friday.
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