Hunter Biden trial: Exes testify to his drug habits; FBI agent, former gun shop employee weigh in as well

First son Hunter Biden — a man who detailed his struggles with drug addiction in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things" — is currently standing trial in Delaware for three charges related to allegedly lying on a federal form and illegally possessing a weapon for a brief period in late 2018. Day three of that trial has now concluded after testimony from two of Biden's exes as well as an FBI agent and the former gun shop employee who sold Biden the firearm.

'Unlawful user of, or addicted to': Biden allegedly lies on ATF form

On October 12, 2018, Hunter Biden walked into StarQuest Shooters in Wilmington, Delaware, and paid cash for a Colt revolver. As part of the purchasing process, Biden had to fill out a form required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that asks a number of questions regarding drug use.

One such question asks whether the purchaser is "an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance." The "no" box was checked in response to that question on Biden's form.

Buhle claimed Biden attempted to conceal his addiction from friends and family but that he became 'angry' and 'short-tempered' whenever he was under the influence.

Prosecutors have thus far attempted to demonstrate that Biden was abusing street drugs, particularly crack, at the time the weapon was purchased and therefore lied when he claimed on the form that he was not a drug addict.

Biden's attorneys, by contrast, have attempted to argue that Biden was abusing alcohol at the time, not illegal substances like crack. They've also suggested that Biden didn't see himself as an addict at the time he purchased the gun and therefore didn't lie, CNN reported.

'Found a crack pipe': Two exes take the stand

Two of Biden's former romantic partners testified for the prosecution on Wednesday: ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan. Buhle had been subpoenaed to testify while Kestan agreed to testify after receiving an immunity deal.

Buhle and Biden were married for nearly 25 years, from 1993 until 2017, and have three daughters together. Though Buhle mentioned that Biden had discussed entering rehab at least as far back as 2003 and noted that he had been dismissed from the Navy in 2014 because of alleged cocaine use, she said on the stand that she became particularly alarmed after she "found a crack pipe ... on an ashtray on the side porch of [their] home" in July 2015.

After that, Buhle testified that she repeatedly discovered drugs and/or drug paraphernalia in Biden's car and that she had to remove those items on several occasions to keep Biden's drug problem from their daughters. Buhle claimed Biden attempted to conceal his addiction from friends and family but that he became "angry" and "short-tempered" whenever he was under the influence.

Buhle also claimed that though Biden had moved out of their home shortly after she discovered the crack pipe, the couple went to therapy to try and work through their problems. During these therapy sessions, they did discuss Biden's drug habit, she claimed. However, she didn't really consider them to be officially separated until she "found out about the infidelity," she claimed.

On cross-examination, Buhle admitted that she had never personally witnessed Biden use drugs.

Kestan, on the other hand, who met Biden while she worked at a strip club in late 2017, claimed that she frequently saw Biden use crack.

Early in their relationship, though, Biden didn't use quite as often, she said, because they were so "focused on each other." He even told her she was a welcome "distraction" from his addiction, she claimed.

However, the extent of Biden's addiction was soon laid bare. During some of their rendezvouses together in the spring and summer of 2018, Biden would use crack "every 20 minutes or so," she claimed.

'Do drug dealers accept credit cards?'

During that time, she was often asked to help facilitate his addiction by meeting up with dealers or going to ATMs to collect money for drug purchases, she said. In May 2018, Biden even asked her to clean up a hotel room after he had fixed up a batch of crack the night before. That day, Kestan snapped a photo of the hotel room, claiming she was "very angry" that he had left her to clean up his mess. That photo was shared in open court.

By the time the two were sharing Biden's rental home in Malibu, Kestan had had enough and decided to move back to New York. She left either September 22 or 23, 2018, and Biden was still using crack as regularly as ever, she claimed. Her testimony indicated that in the weeks leading up to the gun purchase, Biden was still actively engaging in drug abuse.

Despite his unsavory requests and drug habits, Kestan repeatedly described Biden as "charming."

"Everybody loved him," she insisted.

A dead brother's wife, an FBI agent, and a dealer named 'Mookie'

Though she hasn't testified at Biden's trial, Hallie Biden — the widow of Biden's late brother, Beau, and who also had a romantic relationship with Hunter after her husband's death — still made an indirect appearance in court this week when FBI special agent Erika Jensen read some text messages Hunter Biden sent Hallie in October 2018 that suggest drug purchases and/or drug use.

In one message, Biden told Hallie he was meeting a drug dealer named "Mookie" at a ballpark near Wilmington. In another, he told her he was smoking crack and sleeping on a car parked in downtown Wilmington.

On cross-examination, Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell forced Jensen to admit she did not personally know whether Biden had ever actually done any of those things or whether he had just told Hallie he had. When he asked Jensen whether she even knew whether Mookie is a real person, she said she did not.

Lowell also noted during cross-examination of Jensen that while ample credit card and receipt evidence demonstrates that Biden was actively involved in alcohol addiction in October 2018 and that photos and statements attest to his drug addiction before and after that month, almost no evidence exists that he was actively engaged in drug addiction when he purchased the gun.

On redirect, prosecutor Derek Hines tacitly noted that people buying drugs often pay in cash to avoid leaving a paper trail. "Do drug dealers accept credit cards?" he asked Jensen.

"Not in my experience," she replied.

'Might as well': Former gun shop employee recalls Hunter's visit

Finally, Gordon Cleveland, the former StarQuest Shooters employee who sold Biden the gun, took the stand for the prosecution.

Cleveland claimed he did not recognize Biden when he entered the store but that after Biden explained what he was looking for, he was able to offer Biden several options. Biden eventually settled on the Colt.

Cleveland denied that the boxes on Biden's form already had checkmarks.

Cleveland also recalled explaining to Biden his ammunition options as well. He acknowledged that when he worked at the store, he often encouraged gun buyers to pick up some ammo at the same time.

"If you’re gonna buy a gun you might as well buy the ammunition. Because, what are you gonna do? Throw it at somebody?" he joked.

Defense attorney Lowell had previously suggested in court that the boxes on Biden's ATF form had already been checked by the time he went to fill it out. For evidence, Lowell pointed to the different colored pens used on the form and the seemingly different handwriting styles on it.

However, Cleveland denied that the boxes on Biden's form already had checkmarks and claimed he personally watched Biden fill out the form, including all the drug-related questions.

Anything else?

Prosecutors claimed they have six more witness, none of whom is expected to testify for very long. The defense team is thus preparing to call their first witnesses perhaps as early as Friday.

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