Ex-wife Kathleen Buhle likely to testify

Hines then explained how, after 11 days of owning the gun, Hallie Biden had concerns about Hunter Biden. She allegedly took his gun, wrapped it in her leather bag (which he used to transport cocaine) and threw it into an open trash can behind a grocery store, Hines said.

It was then found by a man who regularly searched trash cans for recyclable materials, the prosecution argued.

Hunter Biden was reportedly furious when he discovered Hallie Biden had taken his gun and demanded it be recovered, but it had already been found, the indictment continued.

Defense opening statements

Hunter Biden’s defense team’s argument hinges on two claims: that Hunter Biden did not knowingly break the law because he was clean and relapsed when he filled out his gun application, and that gun sellers were eager to sell to Hunter Biden because of who he is, ignoring protocol.

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell argued that the language on the 4473 form was unclear, explaining that it does not ask, “Have you ever used drugs?” Instead, he says, “Are you a drug user?”

Lowell noted that elsewhere on the form, he uses the phrase “Have you?” But on the issue of drugs, specifically, this does not happen.

Regarding text messages between Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden, Lowell urged the jury to pay attention to the dates of text messages about drug use that the indictment will show. He said they would not date shortly before Hunter purchased the gun on Oct. 12, 2018, but rather that they would date shortly after Hunter left a rehab facility in California where he was working to get clean.

Lowell argued that Hunter Biden actually considered himself a non-drug user at that time. After the gun was found and he and Hallie got into a huge fight, the stress of that situation caused Hunter Biden to relapse, Lowell argued.

The defense told the jury that the evidence would show that Hunter Biden acted normally in the few days surrounding the gun purchase and that normal behavior would be impossible if he was addicted and using crack cocaine during that period.

“There are functional alcoholics. There is no such thing as a functional crack addict,” Lowell said.

Lowell highlighted that Hunter Biden never disputed that he had a history of drug use, saying that Hunter Biden, like millions of Americans, has had real struggles with addiction.

Hunter Biden Accusations

Hunter Biden faces three felonies stemming from the purchase of a firearm in 2018, when he was, according to his memoirs, at the height of his crack addiction. He was accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the app used to screen firearm applicants when he said he was not a drug user, and possessing the gun illegally for 11 days.

He has pleaded not guilty and argued that he is being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department after Republicans condemned a now-defunct plea deal as special treatment for the Democratic president’s son.

The trial comes just days after Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024, was convicted of 34 crimes in New York City. A jury found the former president guilty of a scheme to cover up a secret payment to a porn star to prevent damage to his 2016 presidential campaign. The two criminal cases are unrelated, but their proximity underscores how the criminal court has taken center stage. of attention during the 2024 campaign.