Working-Class Witnesses Caught Up in Hunter Biden Chaos Offer Stark Contrast to Presidential Family at Trial

Wilmington, Del. – The jury in Hunter Biden’s gun trial was introduced this week to a group of working-class Americans who, in the course of their daily lives and through no fault of their own, happened to encounter the wake of chaos left behind by the first son.

The lives of the witnesses — a garbage man, a Navy Veteran who spent 40 years working at General Motors, and two police officers — offered a stark contrast to the recklessness and excess that spurred the events that brought them all to the Wilmington courthouse.

Hunter Biden couldn’t help but grin as Ed Banner, 80, recounted his experience finding Biden’s gun inside a trash can next to a grocery store, where Hunter’s then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, his brother Beau’s widow, had dumped it. While collecting cans outside Janssen’s Market to put a few dollars in his pocket, Banner had found Biden’s Colt Cobra revolver and a pack of bullets.

Wearing a blue suit and matching tie, the Navy veteran and career General Motors man drew laughs from the gallery and both sides of the Hunter Biden case, even causing defense attorney Abbe Lowell to momentarily drop his stern glare.

Like other witnesses who came before him, Banner has lived an ordinary life in the Wilmington area, and happened to cross paths with one of America’s most famous political families for a short period of time.

Earlier in the day, the jury heard from two police officers involved in the Hunter Biden case. The first officer, Delaware state trooper Joshua Marley, was one of the officers who came to Janssen’s market in response to a call about the suspected theft of a firearm.

The second officer, Millard Greer, a former lieutenant with the Delaware state police, gave a detailed account of how he investigated the disappearance of Biden’s gun and tracked down Banner in order to retrieve the weapon. Energetic and quick-witted, Greer reviewed video footage, interviewed witnesses, conducted surveillance, and eventually encountered Banner outside Janssen’s.

Greer vividly described his interaction with Banner outside the store and subsequent retrieval of Hunter Biden’s firearm from Banner’s home. Although he remembered many details of the Biden case, Greer repeatedly emphasized that it took place almost six years ago.

Hunter Biden is on trial for three federal gun charges, two for allegedly lying about his drug addiction on a federal gun paperwork and a third for allegedly possessing a firearm while addicted to crack cocaine. Biden pleaded not guilty to the felony charges last year and faces up to 25 years in prison.

To begin the proceedings on Thursday, Lowell finished cross examining part-time gun salesman Gordon Cleveland, a garbage-truck driver who took on the sales job to get extra cash and indulge his gun hobby.

A heavy-set black man, Cleveland left the gun-salesman job to address health problems related to diabetes and take care of his growing family.

He and the three other men who testified on Thursday spent their lives far from the luxury hotels and where Hunter spent his time, and they lacked knowledge of the salacious details surrounding Biden’s crack-cocaine usage and relationship drama.

But the four men closely resemble the jurors, and contrasted starkly with the rich and powerful family members supporting Hunter Biden.

Hunter’s father, President Joe Biden, said in an interview he would respect the outcome of the trial and not pardon Hunter. No other criminal defendant in American history has been able to wonder whether his father will pardon him if convicted of federal crimes.

On the first day of the trial, Joe Biden said he was “proud” of his son, and First Lady Jill Biden came to support Hunter over multiple days earlier this week.

Lowell continued where he left off, probing Cleveland’s memory of every second he spent interacting with Hunter Biden at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, the gun store where Hunter bought a firearm on October 12, 2018.

The defense sought to blame Cleveland for Biden’s gun purchase by suggesting he was an enterprising and sleazy salesman.

Every time Lowell tried to make Cleveland appear nefarious, Cleveland explained why his behavior was standard practice for salesmen, and how Hunter Biden ultimately picked out the items he bought. Cleveland told Lowell he observed customers’s behavior to make sure they were fit to buy a firearm, and did not notice any inhibitions from Hunter Biden.

While Cleveland’s observation could aid Lowell’s claim that Biden was not addicted to crack at the moment of the purchase, multiple witnesses have testified to Biden’s high functioning in public settings while he was addicted to crack.

In addition, Hunter Biden’s apparent high functioning weakens Lowell’s argument that Biden was confused by the gun paperwork and duped by a gun salesman.

Cleveland’s integrity and passion was observable on Wednesday as he described in detail the features of various gun models and recalled his refusal to keep $13 in change Hunter Biden gave him.

Federal prosecutor Derek Hines brought fresh attention to Cleveland’s integrity during his brief redirect examination.

“You’re not supposed to be purchasing firearms,” Cleveland said of unlawful drug users. “Anything could happen.”

The trial will resume on Friday with the prosecution’s remaining expert witnesses.