Things went so poorly for the defense that Hunter joked about representing himself going forward on his way out of the courtroom.
Wilmington, Delaware — Hunter Biden’s defense team had such a rough day in court on Wednesday that the first son joked about representing himself going forward on his way out of the courtroom.
Hunter’s defense, carefully crafted by attorney Abbe Lowell during his opening statement on Tuesday, was blown up by the testimony of an ex-girlfriend and ex-wife who described the extent of Hunter’s crack-cocaine usage around the time he purchased a firearm in October 2018 — and by the salesman who sold Hunter the gun he allegedly lied in order to purchase.
Hunter is facing two federal charges related to his allegedly lying about his drug addiction on a gun-purchase background-check form and he faces a third charge for allegedly possessing the firearm while addicted to crack cocaine. Hunter pleaded not guilty to the charges last year and faces up to 25 years in prison.
Most of the day was taken up by testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, a woman who dated Biden from roughly December 2017 to November 2018, despite being half his age at the time.
Prosector Leo Wise conducted a lengthy direct examination of Kestan accompanied by pictures from her cellphone to corroborate her recollection of events.
Wise and Kestan seemed to get into a rhythm throughout the direct examination, as Kestan recalled large events and small details from her time with Hunter Biden. Kestan remembered exact dates and named the various hotels they stayed at during their time together.
Each time Kestan described an experience with Hunter Biden, Wise asked her if Hunter Biden smoked crack at their hotel or Airbnb, and Kestan always replied affirmatively.
“Every 20 minutes or so,” Kestan said of Hunter Biden’s crack habit during one of the hotel stays. She noted that he smoked crack less frequently in public, and she never noticed a change in his demeanor when he smoked.
Wise shared photos from Kestan’s cellphone showing drug paraphernalia scatted around the bathrooms and tables of their lodgings. One of the images appeared to show Biden in a hotel bathtub holding a crack pipe in the wee hours of the morning. When Wise showed the images, Kestan easily pointed out the drug paraphernalia and explained to the courtroom how the various materials were used to cook and consume crack.
Biden allowed Kestan to withdraw cash from his account when he needed to spend it on drugs, she recounted. Kestan stated the names of drug dealers and described the drug transactions she saw at the hotels and other locations.
Kestan’s testimony and the images allowed Wise to establish that Hunter was smoking crack in September 2018, following his late August rehab stint in Malibu, Calif. She said Biden smoked crack every 20 minutes at a Malibu house he rented, and she did not remember Biden discussing his rehab stint during her time at the house in September 2018.
Wise closed the direct examination by introducing a lengthy text message Biden sent her in December 2018 lamenting how he would always be a drug addict and his attempts to get sober failed.
The text message — as well as Kestan’s claim that the rehab stint had not made a significant impression on Hunter — contradict Lowell’s argument that Hunter had regained some semblance of sobriety in Malibu and therefore did not believe himself to be an addict when he purchased the gun.
In Biden’s memoir, Beautiful Things, he references a relapse after the Malibu rehab stint. Earlier in the trial, Lowell questioned whether the relapse referred to Biden’s alcohol or crack-cocaine use. Kestan said Biden frequently used both substances simultaneously.
Hunter Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle testified before Kestan. Buhle briefly recalled how she had discovered a crack pipe on their porch. Buhle remembered the exact day, July 3, 2015, which was the day after the couple’s 22nd wedding anniversary. The pair divorced in 2017 after being separated.
I will note, ex-wife Kathleen Buhle testified about discovering Hunter’s crack pipe on their porch on July 3, 2015, the day after their anniversary. It was their 22nd. When Buhle confronted Hunter, he acknowledged his crack habit. https://t.co/evYHBfrbRU
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) June 5, 2024
The mother of Hunter’s three eldest daughters, Buhle appeared to be hesitant and saddened by the entire ordeal. Unlike Kestan, she struggled to recall specific information, but she did remember searching Biden’s car to make sure crack cocaine was not in the vehicle when their daughters drove it.
“He told me,” Buhle said of how she knew Hunter Biden was using drugs. She recalled finding drugs or drug paraphernalia in at least one of his cars roughly a dozen times from 2015 through 2019.
Later on, gun salesman Gordon Cleveland testified about the details of Hunter Biden’s gun purchase and the accompanying background paperwork.
Cleveland was a part-time salesman at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, a gun store in the Wilmington area, and a full time garbage-truck driver.
A gun enthusiast, Cleveland went into painstaking detail in describing his entire interaction with Biden, starting from when Cleveland spotted Biden’s Cadillac driving into the store’s parking lot.
Cleveland recalled that Hunter wanted to purchase a firearm when he walked into the store, refuting Lowell’s argument that Hunter was browsing other items and was convinced to buy a gun by Cleveland.
Before Hunter Biden filled out the background-check form attesting that he was not addicted to drugs, Cleveland said he told Biden to take his time and be truthful.
Lowell tried to portray Cleveland as a sleazy and greedy salesman during the cross examination, but Cleveland repeatedly asserted that he was simply doing his job and wanted customers to purchase the types of high-quality guns he buys for himself.
Inside the courtroom, First Lady Jill Biden watched a portion of the proceedings, and Hunter’s current wife Melissa Cohen saw the entire day unfold. Kevin Morris, Hunter Biden’s friend and financial patron, was also present inside the courtroom next to the Biden family members.
Cleveland’s cross examination will resume Thursday morning.