The jury in the trial of Hunter Biden, son of American President Joe Biden, for alleged illegal possession of a firearm when he was a crack user heard, this Wednesday (5), the testimony of his ex-wife, who recalled having found a pipe in the family home.
On Tuesday, the first day of the trial’s opening arguments, Hunter Biden was described as a heavy drug user, who allegedly lied to hide his addiction when he decided to buy a firearm.
Hunter’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, said on Wednesday that in 2015 she found a crack pipe on the side porch of her house, and that she was worried about the possibility that her daughter might find it. The couple divorced in 2017.
Hunter Biden, the first son of a sitting American president to face criminal prosecution, is accused of illegally possessing a firearm for 11 days in October 2018 and lying about his drug addiction when he acquired it.
Earlier, FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen recounted in testimony how investigators collected evidence on an abandoned laptop computer, among which were photos that appeared to show drugs. Republicans used this evidence to try to discredit the Biden family.
Jurors also heard testimony from Zoe Kestan, who said she had a relationship with Hunter Biden in 2017 and 2018, in which she recalled that he smoked crack “about every 20 minutes.”
Prosecutors showed the jury images of the two, in which Hunter Biden appears with a glass pipe in one hand.
As in the previous two days, the first lady, Jill Biden, was present to support her stepson at the federal court in Wilmington, in the small state of Delaware, considered a Biden stronghold on the East Coast.
The case diverted the attention of Biden’s campaign for re-election from Donald Trump, who was declared guilty a few days ago in a New York court on charges of tax fraud.
The president, who does not attend the hearings, but says he feels “trust” and “respect for the strength” of his son, visited France this Wednesday for the D-Day celebrations of the Second World War, and is in the midst of launching initiatives crucial issues on migration and the war in Gaza.
– Familiar longing –
On Tuesday, the prosecutor played excerpts from “Beautiful Things”, Hunter Biden’s memoir, recorded by himself, in which he recalls moments of his addiction when he desperately sought crack.
“I cooked [o crack] and smoked. She cooked and smoked,” says Hunter in the excerpt played in court, taken from her audiobook.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer said his client “was not using drugs when he purchased the gun” and that it “was never loaded, [Hunter] he never carried it and never used it” in the 11 days he had it with him.
Hunter, a Yale-educated lawyer and lobbyist turned artist, guarantees that he has not used drugs since 2019.
In addition to the political impact, Hunter’s legal problems reopened old family wounds, resulting from his drug problems and other previous situations.
His brother, Beau, died of cancer in 2015 and his sister, Naomi, died as a child in a car accident in 1972, in which Neilia, the president’s first wife and mother of the three, also died.
If found guilty, Hunter Biden could face a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, although a milder sentence is expected, including no prison sentence, as he has no criminal record.
The White House said last year that there would be no presidential pardon for Hunter Biden if he was convicted.
The president’s son has long been in the crosshairs of Republicans, who launched an exhaustive investigation within Congress, accusing him of corruption and influence peddling, although charges were never brought against him for that.
His business dealings in China and Ukraine also served as the basis for Republicans to try to open impeachment proceedings to remove his father, but the efforts were unsuccessful.
The trial is expected to last between one and two weeks.
2024-06-05 23:18:53