Hunter Biden trial: Ex-wife is expected to testify

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Hunter Biden’s gun trial have spent hours showing jurors evidence of his drug problem, seeking to reveal through his own words and writing the depth of his addiction to show it was still going on when, they say, he lied on a form to buy a firearm.

Testimony was expected to continue Wednesday. Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, is expected to be among the witnesses. She was married to President Joe Biden’s son for roughly 20 years. They have three children, divorcing in 2016 after his infidelity and drug abuse became too much to overcome, according to her memoir, “If We Break,” about the dissolution of their marriage.

Buhle is among several Biden family members and friends expected to testify in a trial that has quickly become a highly personal and detailed tour of Hunter Biden’s mistakes and drug usage as the 2024 presidential election looms and allies worry about the toll it will take on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and sustained sobriety of his only living son. Prosecutors argue the testimony is 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, 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 for 11 days.

“No one is allowed to lie on a federal form like that, even Hunter Biden,” prosecutor Derek Hines told jurors on Tuesday. “He crossed the line when he chose to buy a gun and lied about a federal background check… the defendant’s choice to buy a gun is why we are here.”

“When the defendant filled out that form, he knew he was a drug addict,” and prosecutors don’t have to prove he was using the day he purchased the firearm, Hines said.

First lady Jill Biden and her daughter, Ashley Biden, sat in the courtroom for much of Tuesday. Hunter Biden’s attorney argued that his client did not believe he was in the throes of addiction when he stated in the paperwork that he did not have a drug problem. In the short time that he had the gun, he did nothing with it,