Money for Nothing and Chicks for Free: Hunter Biden's Delaware Trial - Day 3

Day 3 of Hunter Biden's trial in Wilmington, Delaware, brought testimony from multiple witnesses, including two of Hunter's former lovers. Townhall's Mia Cathell was in the courtroom again, providing invaluable coverage.

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LIVE: Day 3 of Hunter Biden's Gun Trial

The day began with FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen retaking the stand for further cross-examination by Hunter's attorney, Abbe Lowell, followed by re-direct examination by the prosecution. Some highlights from Jensen's Wednesday testimony:

The drug deals

Hunter texted on October 13, 2018: "Yes [redacted] who hangs at 7/11 on Greenhill and Lancaster. I'm now off MD Av behind blue rocks stadium waiting for a dealer named Mookie." The next day, Hunter texted: "I was sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th street and Rodney."
Lowell questions if Jensen ever independently certified that what Hunter texted was true — that there was, in fact, a drug dealer called "Mookie" or if Hunter really did smoke crack on a car parked at the downtown Wilmington intersection.

The money

Turning to cash withdrawals from Hunter's business accounts (Owasco PC), Lowell asks Jensen if it was possible another person could have made the transactions since the customer's name isn't noted. Jensen says Hunter at some point had 100 percent of the shares in the company and the account card plus a PIN were required to make withdrawals.

The ex-wife

After Jensen, the prosecution called Hunter's ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, to the stand briefly. Special Counsel David Weiss conducted her direct exam.

Buhle establishes that Hunter hid his drug use from family, friends, and associates. He was initially evasive about seeking treatment, she says.

Though Lowell got Buhle to acknowledge on cross-examination that she never physically saw Hunter doing drugs, Weiss, on redirect, asked how she knew Hunter was using.

"He told me," she says. Buhle adds that she also found evidence of Hunter's drug use approximately "a dozen times."

The exotic dancer

After Buhle, the prosecution called Zoe Kestan, an exotic dancer roughly half Hunter's age, with whom he had a relationship between December 2017 and October 2018. Some key points from Kestan's testimony:

Hunter's charm offensive

Weiss asks Kestan to identify if the client from that session is in the courtroom. Hunter waves from the defense table, drawing laughter from the gallery.

The drug use

Throughout Kestan's relationship with Hunter from December 2017 to October 2018, Kestan says she frequently witnessed Hunter using illegal drugs. During one tryst in January 2018, Kestan says she saw Hunter smoking "a little less than every 20 minutes.
...
Kesten explains crack terms like "chore boy" — the brand name of a scouring pad used by crack smokers to capture some of the cocaine vapors that can be relit for a second hit — which Hunter mentioned numerous times in his memoir and over text. "I need more chore boy," he texted in August 2018.

Drug or dealer?

Instead of the Airbnb, Kestan and Hunter lodged at Chateau Marmont where Hunter reached out to a drug dealer. "What kind?" Weiss asks. "Samoan," Kestan replies. Weiss clarifies he meant what kind of drugs.

The gun salesman

The prosecution called Gordon Cleveland of Starquest Shooters to testify. Derek Hines conducted the direct examination.

Cleveland says that on October 12, 2018, Hunter pulled up to the gun store in a black Cadillac. Hines asks how he remembers those details. "I like guns and I like cars," Cleveland simply says. The courtroom reacts with amusement.
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The prosecution presents the federal form Hunter filled out in Cleveland's presence, zooming in on the warning emblazoned at the top of the first page that tells prospective gun buyers to carefully read through each question and answer truthfully. Failure to properly fill out the form would void the sale, Cleveland explains.
Cleveland says Hunter never asked him any questions related to Q #11E or expressed confusion.
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Cleveland says Hunter paid for everything in cash, a $900 sale resulting in $13 in change. Hunter told Cleveland to keep the change, but Cleveland says he doesn't take tips, so he left the remainder in an envelope on the countertop.

Though Lowell tried to puncture Cleveland's credibility on cross-examination, it sounds like Cleveland held his own.

Lowell tries to dispute how Cleveland could have seen Hunter coming from his lookout post at the storefront's window and where Hunter was driving in. "You saw him looking through a wall?" Lowell retorts. Cleveland explains the layout of the store and the parking lot in great detail.

After a sidebar regarding Cleveland's testimony, court broke for the day. It appears he'll be called back to the stand to start the day on Thursday.

George Washington University Law professor Jonathan Turley had some interesting observations regarding the defense's approach in this case:

Hunter's defense team seems to be systematically dismantling any credibility with the jury. It first argued that Hunter was not using drugs when he bought the gun. The prosecutors then showed texts the next day in which he sought to buy crack and called witnesses on his use...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 5, 2024

...The defense also said that Hunter just wandered into the store and was pressured to buy a gun. The store employee testified that he came into the store specifically looking for the gun...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 5, 2024

(I have a couple of theories on their approach, which I'll share in the next installment.)

According to the prosecution, they have only six witnesses, all relatively short, and may actually rest their case by the end of Thursday. At this pace, it's conceivable the case could actually be submitted to the jury late Friday, though it would more likely be Monday to allow for the final jury instruction conference and give the parties time to prepare their closing arguments. (Side note: Closing was always my strongest part of trial, and I loved when things timed out to allow either a weekend or a solid half-day to put the finishing touches on mine before having to deliver it. I suspect the attorneys will push for that here so that they have the weekend to prepare.) In any event, this one's been cruising right along, and we'll likely have a verdict/result by mid-week next week.

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