Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law turned lover Hallie Biden, who is the prosecution’s most significant witness against him, stated in her testimony on Thursday that she thought he was abusing drugs when she last saw him in October 2018, the month he claimed to be drug-free on a federal background check.
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When she was testifying, the jury leaned forward in their chairs. Even those who don’t usually take notes scribbled on their notepads during her crucial testimony, which cleared up some unanswered questions about when Biden purchased the rifle.
The son of President Joe Biden, Biden, is accused of three felonies because the prosecution says he was abusing narcotics or had an addiction to them when he purchased and had a handgun in October 2018. He made a not-guilty plea. He has been candid about his long-term crack cocaine addiction, and in September and November of 2018, a crucial witness revealed that she saw him use the substance.
The team led by special counsel David Weiss said before the session ended that they would rest their case on Friday following the presentation of testimony from two FBI and DEA experts. That puts the case in a position where a jury might hear it early next week, according to Hunter Biden’s primary attorney.
According to those briefed on their preparations, Biden’s defense team intends to summon his uncle James Biden and daughter Naomi Biden as witnesses when they start presenting their case on Friday. Abbe Lowell, the main attorney for Biden, proposed that they speak to the jury during his opening remarks.
It is anticipated that Naomi Biden’s testimony will support the defence’s attempt to mitigate the effects of Hallie Biden’s testimony. The purpose of James Biden’s testimony is to inform the jury about Hunter Biden’s efforts to get drug addiction treatment during the crucial 2018 time, some of which were funded by his uncle, the president’s brother.
The following is what was learned on the fourth day of the trial in Wilmington, Delaware:
Star witness Hallie Biden
Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden who later dated his brother Hunter, was set up to be the star witness for the special counsel in many respects. She is the lone witness who is anticipated to testify that she saw Biden when he returned to Delaware in October 2018 and purchased the Colt Cobra revolver in.38 calibre.
She stated in her testimony that she thought Biden was using crack cocaine on October 22 and 23, a few days after he bought the weapon, based on her observations and his actions.
On cross-examination, though, she admitted that she didn’t see Biden using narcotics in October—a fact the defence team has focused on in an attempt to discredit October and raise doubts.
She added that in October, she didn’t see much of Biden. The messages that jurors viewed between the two showed her attempting to contact him and inquiring as to whether he was meeting other people. She questioned, “Are you in New York with Zoe?” in one of her messages from that time frame. By the way, Zoe Kestan was intimately connected with Biden at the same time and had testified about his widespread drug usage.
Lowell constantly questioned Hallie Biden during his extensive cross-examination.
Hallie Biden ‘panicked’ and threw out the gun
After discovering Biden’s revolver on October 23, Hallie Biden “panicked” and drove to a grocery shop to put the weapon in a trashcan. She then detailed how things went out of control.
“I panicked and I wanted to get rid of them … because I didn’t want him to hurt himself or I didn’t want my kids to find it and hurt themselves, and I just panicked and wanted to get rid of it,” she testified.
After that, she drove to the nearby grocery store, Janssen’s Market, and disposed of it in a trash receptacle. According to texts revealed to the jury, Hunter Biden quickly realized that his gun was stolen, and things swiftly went south. She attested that he was quite irate.
“It’s hard to believe anyone is that stupid,” he texted her amid the crisis, according to the messages presented by prosecutors.
She later replied, “You can blame me all you want. I know it was stupid, but your part is dangerous and negligent. And because of this and my stupidity for being worried about you, I’m dealing with insanity and possibly I’m the one going to get in trouble.”
Hallie Biden repeatedly testified under cross-examination that she was unable to recollect specifics of the day, such as phone conversations she had with Hunter Biden, the time she discovered the pistol in his truck or her whole itinerary.
“There are some things you remember and many things you don’t,” Lowell told her, pointedly.
Hallie Biden’s drug use
Hallie Biden admitted to using drugs early in her evidence, stating that Hunter Biden had given her her first taste of crack cocaine in 2018.
She remarked, “I regret that time in my life. It was a horrible experience that I went through. I’m embarrassed and ashamed.”
August 2018, she claimed to have resigned.
She later claimed to have entered a Pennsylvania recovery centre at the beginning of October 2018. As part of the therapy, Biden went to some “counselling” sessions with her, according to her. Hunter Biden purchased the rifle in Delaware a few weeks after returning from Los Angeles, according to Lowell, for this purpose.
Finding the gun
Following Hallie Biden’s report that her gun was gone, Delaware State Police Lieutenant Millard Greer went on to testify about the sequence of events that resulted in the recovery of Biden’s firearm.
Investigators discovered through security footage and interviews that the gun that Hallie Biden had thrown in the trashcan might have been removed by an old man who enjoyed fishing around trash cans for recyclables. Greer claimed that he watched the man from a nearby Fidelity Investments outlet and then went up to speak with him.
Thomas Banner, the man, admitted that he had discovered something significant among the trash. When they returned to his residence to get the pistol, Banner was locked out and began to get agitated, according to Greer.
When they finally entered, Banner showed Greer where the pistol was—according to Greer—stuck in a sock inside a lunchbox made by General Motors. To Greer’s amazement, he also gave her a second gun, which he claimed he had been hanging onto for years after receiving it from a colleague who had to sell it to protect his brother.
Later, the 80-year-old Banner entered the stand, and during questioning, both Lowell and prosecutor Derek Hines stood inches away from him, speaking in clear, slow tones due to his hearing impairment.
He explained how he would gather recyclables and aluminium cans from garbage cans even during his more than 30-year career at General Motors. Banner claimed he would take them to New York to trade for cash, adding that he was only able to obtain up to 75 cents for a pound today, as opposed to his previous nickel per can.
Along with the rifle, the retiree also recognized a brown satchel he discovered. Years after the pouch was discovered, according to the prosecution, FBI agents discovered a white powder on it that tested positive for cocaine.
Hines inquired about cocaine use among those living in the 80-year-old’s home.
“No,” Banner said.
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