Ex-partners of Hunter Biden debunk defense allegations that their client did not use drugs when he acquired a gun

The ex-wife and a woman who had a relationship with Hunter Biden appeared before the court handling the case of the illegal purchase of a firearm by the president's son in 2018 and their testimony significantly weakened the defense's line of argument. The responses of Kathleen Buhle (ex-spouse) and Zoe Kestan (dancer) about the first son's relationship with drugs cast doubt on whether he was not using at the time he acquired the gun, which is precisely what his lawyers claim.

Buhle, who was married to the Bidens' youngest between 1993 and 2017, testified for 25 minutes, claiming that Hunter "was not himself" when he used illicit substances and that the first child was addicted during their marriage. Although she claims that her ex-husband admitted his addiction to her in 2015, when she found a crack pipe in his house, she stressed that his relationship with drugs was previous, and that he was expelled from the Navy for using cocaine, according to The New York. Post.

Searching for drugs in Hunter's family vehicle

The ex-wife, who has three daughters with Hunter, told the judge that she began regularly searching the family car for drugs or remains so that his daughters would not discover their father's addiction and avoid problems if they were stopped by the police for a traffic stop. A routine that she maintained until 2019, even after her divorce. On several occasions she found drugs in the vehicle.

In addition, Buhle acknowledged that her ex scared her when he was using: "I was worried, scared. He wasn't himself. "He was angry, short-tempered, acting in ways he hadn’t when he was sober." However, she highlighted that Hunter was able to work and interact with friends and family during these periods.

Hunter had large amounts of cash to buy drugs

For her part, Kestan, who testified after reaching a commitment to immunity, noted that she met Hunter at a gentlemen's club when she, along with another woman, performed a private dance for him. The president's son then used crack cocaine in an adjoining room. In 2018 they would have a meeting again and Kestan claimed that Hunter smoked crack "every 20 minutes or so." In addition, she explained that Hunter had a large amount of cash and much of it was used to buy drugs. She also claims that he saw him provide a one-time code to a trafficker to withdraw money from his account.

The woman, whom Hunter was twice her age when he met her (24-48), assured that, despite the frequent drug use, the president's son's behavior did not present great variations: "I thought: 'It's crazy, his behavior doesn't seem to change.' I never saw an immediate change in his behavior, which really confused me." However, she also noted that, despite the apparent normality, she saw him lose or break his cell phone "five or six times" in the nine months they were together.

Treatments to quit drugs

Kestan also talked about how, at that time, Hunter tried various therapies to quit drugs, such as South American Kambo, which uses venom from the giant Amazon frog by rubbing it on the skin to eliminate the urge to use. He also talked about a ketamine treatment, which also didn't seem to work according to a text message he sent shortly after what would be their last meeting: "I'm sitting here on a f***ing island by myself trying to beat the devil out of me... I will always be an addict."

The last witness to participate was Gordon Cleveland, the man who sold the gun to Hunter. Although his testimony will continue on Thursday, he assured that he and a partner helped the first child fill out the form and that he remembers that he checked the box that said he did not use illicit substances. Hunter's lawyer accused Cleveland of sweet-talking his client to getting the revolver, something he dismissed, pointing out that he did not charge a commission for the sale and that he preferred to sell higher quality items.

Prosecutors still have six more witnesses, including Hallie Biden - the widow of Beau, Hunter's older brother - with whom he had a romantic relationship.