Witnesses in Hunter Biden gun case testify he was hooked on drugs prior to claiming he was drug-free on background check form

The testimony from Kathleen Buhle as well as Zoe Kestan both cast doubt on the argument from the defense that Hunter Biden was recovering from his drug addiction in October 2018 when he bought a gun and could have relapsed after that point. He bought a .38 revolver and marked on the purchase form that he was not addicted to drugs.

Buhle was on the stand for 25 minutes recalling experiences with Biden. She had been married to him from 1993 to 2017. She told the jury about the first time she learned of the drug use. “I found a crack pipe on July 3, 2015, in an ashtray on the side porch of our home," she said, as reported by the New York Post. “I went looking for my husband and asked him what it was,” added Buhle. “He said it was a crack pipe. He acknowledged smoking crack.” Buhle kept a routine of checking the car for drugs from 2015 through 2019 in order to protect her children, even after their divorce. She said she found drugs multiple times.

Kestan also took the stand, and her testimony also cast doubt on the claim that Hunter Biden was sobering up at the time of the gun purchase. She herself was a stripper at a dance club where she met Hunter. She recalled dancing for him in December 2017 and then him smoking crack that night. They met up in January 2018 where she recalled him smoking crack "every 20 minutes" during a five-day stay with him. Kestan also noted that Hunter Biden used cash for many purchases, often involving drugs.

Kestan testified that Hunter Biden told her that he would try to be clean later in February of that year, however, he was back using it in March 2018. He tried to get clean once more after their relationship ended in November 2018. He was getting treated with ketamine therapy on Plum Island, Massachusetts, but would still get high and ask her to get him cocaine.