Hunter Biden’s exes testify in federal gun trial

Testimony that began on Wednesday for Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial became highly personal and outlined a detailed view into the president’s son’s former past mistakes and drug use. 

Hunter’s ex-wife and former girlfriend each spoke from the witness stand about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia during their past relationships. 

Prosecutors argued that testimony in the trial is necessary to show Hunter’s state of mind when he illegally purchased a gun. 

What is Hunter Biden charged with? 

Hunter has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a gun in October 2018. He’s 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. 

The Delaware trial comes after the collapse of a plea deal with prosecutors that would have resolved the gun case and a separate California tax case and avoided the spectacle of a trial. 

Hunter has since pleaded not guilty and has said he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department, after Republicans slammed the now-defunct plea agreement as a sweetheart deal for the Democratic president’s son. 

Hunter also faces a trial in California in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. 

What did Hunter’s ex-wife say? 

Hunter’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, testified on Wednesday. 

Buhle was married to Hunter for 20 years and said that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch on July 3, 2015, one day after their anniversary. 

When she confronted him about it, "He acknowledged smoking crack," she said. 

"I was definitely worried, scared," she said. They have three children and divorced in 2016 after his infidelity and drug abuse became too much, according to her memoir, "If We Break," about the dissolution of their marriage. 

Buhle, who was subpoenaed, was on the stand for about 20 minutes. She remained composed but seemed upset as she recounted how she searched his car about a dozen times for drugs, whenever the children were driving it. 

"Did you ever see Hunter using drugs?" defense attorney Abbe Lowell asked Buhle. 

"No," she replied. 

Then prosecutor Leo Wise asked Buhle how she knew Hunter was using drugs. 

"He told me," she said.

What did Hunter’s ex-girlfriend say? 

Zoe Kesten, a stripper whom Hunter dated, talked about meeting him at the club where she worked in 2017. 

During their private session, Kesten testified that Hunter pulled out a pipe and began smoking it. She assumed it was crack. 

"He was incredibly charming and charismatic and friendly, and I felt really safe around him," she said. "I remember after he had smoked it, nothing had changed. He was the same charming person." 

She ended up staying with him for the next five days at his hotel, where he routinely smoked crack. After he left, they met up for weekends. 

Kesten detailed for jurors when she saw him use drugs, buy drugs, talk about drugs or possess drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors asked her where he stored his drugs and pipes, and she testified he kept them in pouches and other places, such as sunglasses cases. 

Kesten has agreed to testify under immunity. 

What’s next? 

Jurors are expected to hear from the president’s brother James Biden, who is close with Hunter and helped his nephew through rehab stints in the past. They will also get details on how Beau Biden's widow, Hallie Biden, became addicted to crack during a brief relationship with Hunter after her husband's death. 

If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it’s unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.

More legal troubles for Hunter and family

Separately, House Republicans have issued criminal referrals on Wednesday against Hunter and James, accusing them of making false statements to Congress as part of a larger effort to hide the president’s suspected involvement in the family’s overseas businesses. 

Republicans have been trying to tie Hunter’s business dealings to his father as part of a yearlong impeachment inquiry against the president, but have failed to uncover any evidence. 

"Congress cannot allow anyone, not even the president’s son or his brother, to stand in the way of its oversight of the executive branch or deny the American people the accountability they deserve," Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chair of Ways & Means, said in a statement. 

The false statements in question, according to the chairmen, include references Hunter Biden made about what position he held at a corporate entity that received millions of dollars from a foreign client. The president’s son also "relayed an entirely fictitious account" about text messages between him and his Chinese business partner in which he allegedly invoked his father’s presence with him as part of a negotiation tactic. 

There is also a focus on statements James Biden made about whether the president, during his time as a private citizen, met with a now-disgraced former business partner or not. 

Hunter, in a closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill in February, blasted the Republican impeachment inquiry as a "house of cards" built on "lies." 

James testified earlier this year when he appeared for a voluntary private interview on Capitol Hill as part of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry that Joe Biden "never had any involvement" in the business dealings of other members of his family. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.