Wilmington, Delaware
CNN
—
On the third day of Hunter Biden’s trial, his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend testified in graphic detail about his drug addiction.
Also introduced into evidence Wednesday was a gun Biden purchased in October 2018 that is central to the charges against him. The salesman who sold Biden the gun testified that he saw Biden fill out federal forms in which he is accused of falsely claiming he did not use drugs.
At the end of the day, prosecutors announced they had six “short” witnesses remaining and could be ready to finish testifying as early as Thursday afternoon, after which Biden’s defense team could continue testifying if they wished.
Here’s what you need to know on Day 3:
Jurors sat up straighter and leaned forward as Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buehl, who was subpoenaed by the prosecution, took the stand, but Buehl’s short, staccato responses and controlled tone didn’t seem to engage them.
Buehle told jurors she found drug paraphernalia in Hunter’s car in 2018 because she would occasionally check the car to make sure there was nothing illegal in it “when his daughters were using it,” but she could not pinpoint exactly when she found the paraphernalia in Hunter’s car in 2018.
One of Hunter’s ex-girlfriends, Zoe Kestan, was an even more compelling witness for the jury. She described spending months partying and clubbing from California to Rhode Island helping Hunter get drugs.
Biden also gave a flick of his hand when she identified him in the courtroom.
Bill Hennessy
Hunter Biden waves as his ex-girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, testifies in court on Wednesday.
She spoke animatedly, offering up fascinating details about the fine restaurants she dined at in New York and the luxury hotels she stayed at in Los Angeles, and some jurors seemed to hang on her every word.
More importantly to the prosecution’s case, Kestan provided direct eyewitness testimony that Hunter Biden was using drugs in mid-September 2018, just weeks before he bought a gun. She said she saw him smoking crack cocaine during an affair in Malibu. This is the closest prosecutors have come so far to linking the timeline of Hunter’s drug use to his gun purchases.
Gordon Cleveland, the gun salesman who sold Hunter Biden, testified for the prosecution and told jurors he saw Hunter Biden mark “no” in response to a question about whether he was an illegal drug user.
This is essential testimony for the special counsel, as the first and second counts of the three-count felony indictment are directly tied to Hunter’s alleged false statements in that document about his drug use.
Later, under cross-examination by Biden lawyer Abe Lowell, Cleveland touted his reputation as a “whaler” — chuckling when Lowell brought up the term — and bragged about his ability to close expensive gun deals.
Lowell is pursuing this investigation because in his opening statements he told jurors that Cleveland essentially sold Biden the gun.
“I could sell you anything you had, that was the way I did it,” Cleveland said, explaining why his co-workers called him a whaler. This, he admitted, also included trying to get customers to buy more expensive guns.
But Cleveland said he did so because the more expensive guns are more reliable and of higher quality and he had no desire to sell “junk” to customers. “I would be getting paid the same” whether someone bought a gun or not, he said.
Jurors were shown photos of the hotel room Hunter Biden stayed in with Kestan in 2018. Kestan pointed out several crack pipes, including one that was broken, as well as baking powder, spoons, bowls and chopsticks — all of which she testified were used to store drugs Hunter was taking and cocaine he was turning into crack.
Prosecutors showed a photo of Hunter Biden wearing a shirt that read “ADDICTED” with an Adidas logo made to resemble a marijuana plant.
“I thought it was funny because he didn’t smoke marijuana,” Kestan said.
Another photo shown to jurors showed Hunter Biden soaking in a bathtub and holding what Kestan said was a crack pipe.
In opening statements, the prosecution outlined the specific order of its planned witnesses, indicating that Beau Biden’s widow, Hallie Biden, would take the stand after Boulet and Kestin.
But once Kestan’s testimony was finished, the prosecution moved on to Gordon to testify about the gun sales.
It is unclear what the motive for adjusting the order was, but Harry is expected to testify, possibly on Thursday, as prosecutors wrap up their case.
But there were high hopes for Hallie’s testimony on Wednesday. After all, she is emblematic of the Biden family drama: After losing Beau to brain cancer in 2015, she began dating his brother, Hunter, who “introduced” her to crack cocaine and later began using it herself.
In addition to Hallie Biden, prosecutors aim to present testimony from several federal agents, including a DEA official who could explain the various drug terms that appeared in Hunter Biden’s text messages.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
CNN’s Makayla Cook, Paula Reid and Evan Perez contributed to this report.
