HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-WIFE and a former girlfriend gave evidence today in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia, as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm. The courtroom grew quiet when Kathleen Buhle, who was married to Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, for 20 years, walked in. She said that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch on 3 July, 2015, a day after their anniversary.
When she confronted him, “he acknowledged smoking crack”, she said. The trial has quickly become a highly personal and detailed tour of the mistakes and drug use of Hunter Biden, whose struggles have been tabloid fodder for years and were used publicly by Republicans, including in their stalled impeachment effort against the president. The proceedings are unfolding as the 2024 election looms, and allies worry about the toll it will take on Joe Biden, who is deeply concerned about the health and sustained sobriety of his only living son.
Prosecutors say the photos, testimony and other evidence are necessary to show Hunter Biden’s state of mind when he bought the gun. Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a gun in October 2018. He is accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun.
