On Wednesday, June 5th, the trial of Hunter Biden’s illegal gun possession entered its third day. Prosecutors summoned his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend to testify, accusing him of being addicted to cocaine.
Prosecutors carefully examined large withdrawals made by Hunter Biden during the year he purchased the gun, as well as numerous text messages, photos, and videos indicating his possible cocaine use around the time of the gun purchase in October 2018. Along with testimony from his former business partner, prosecutors sought to prove that Hunter Biden intentionally lied on the gun application form, claiming he was not a drug addict.
His defense lawyers argued that the hundreds of thousands of dollars withdrawn in 2018 were used to purchase alcohol, as well as for recovery and rehabilitation services.
During their testimony, Hunter’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan both stated that he was using cocaine while struggling with alcohol addiction.
Hunter is facing three felony charges for purchasing the firearm in 2018. Authorities allege that he falsely claimed on the application form that he was not using drugs, lied to a federally licensed gun store, and illegally possessed the gun for 11 days.
Kathleen Buhle serves as the CEO of a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. She testified that their marriage began to unravel after she found a crack pipe on their home’s front porch on July 3, 2015.
She mentioned that shortly after this discovery, Hunter moved out, and they eventually separated due to his infidelity.
Buhle expressed her concerns for Hunter, testifying that he had been dismissed from the Navy for cocaine use. She stated that during that time, he was “not quite right,” but appeared normal to many people in work and social situations, with his addiction going unnoticed by most.
Hunter’s defense lawyers previously stated that it would be impossible for him to be addicted to cocaine leading up to the gun purchase. They argued that there are no functional crack cocaine addicts and therefore, it would be impossible for him to complete the gun purchase application while still addicted.
Kestan testified that she met Hunter Biden in January 2018 while working at a gentlemen’s club in Manhattan. She claimed that Hunter’s behavior remained unchanged under the influence of drugs, describing him as “charming” and “friendly.”
Given immunity, Kestan also revealed that she witnessed Hunter meeting with various drug dealers and that she would withdraw cash from ATMs to purchase drugs for him. She detailed how Hunter would buy small amounts of crack cocaine and ingest it.
She mentioned that Hunter Biden had attempted to self-medicate his addiction with “Kambo,” a type of South American tree frog venom traditionally used for purification and cleansing rituals. However, she noted that this did not help his symptoms.
Kestan also alleged that she learned online how to convert cocaine powder into crack cocaine to assist Hunter.
Hunter’s defense team maintained that he genuinely believed he was no longer addicted to cocaine on the day he purchased the gun. Therefore, when he ticked “no” on the form, he was not intentionally lying.
They also scrutinized the handwriting on the form, suggesting it could have been filled out by someone else. However, the owner of the gun store previously claimed to have seen Hunter filling out the form, including the box regarding drug addiction.
During the second day of trial, prosecutors spent a significant amount of time examining the large cash withdrawals made by Hunter and insinuated that the money was used to buy drugs. In 2018, Hunter withdrew approximately $399,000.
Hunter’s lawyers claimed that the money was used for alcohol purchases or for recovery and rehabilitation services. They argued that at the time of the gun purchase, Hunter had shifted his reliance from cocaine to alcohol.
While Hunter did make payments of $2,000, $2,500, and $4,000 for recovery and rehabilitation services in August 2018, prosecutors stated they had obtained receipts and that Hunter had paid using a debit card.
Prosecutors pointed out that the alcohol store transactions were made using a Visa card, indicating that the withdrawn cash was likely used for other purposes.
The prosecutor also asked FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen, assigned to Hunter Biden’s case, “Do drug dealers accept credit cards?”
Although President Biden did not attend the trial, First Lady Jill Biden was present at each session.
If Hunter is convicted in the federal gun case, he could face up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders are typically given lighter sentences. It is unclear whether the judge will decide to incarcerate him.