Headline Roundup • June 5th, 2024
Ex-Wife, Ex-Girlfriend Testify to Hunter Biden's Drug Use During Trial
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Jurors in Hunter Biden’s trial heard testimony from two of his former partners on Wednesday.
For Context: Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, is currently on trial facing charges of lying about his illegal drug use when purchasing a handgun in 2018, a felony, and illegal possession of the firearm. Biden, aged 54, bought the handgun in October 2018. Prosecutors have shared extracts from Biden's memoir, “Beautiful Things,” that detail his fall into drug addiction with crack cocaine. Biden's lawyer maintains that he was not using drugs at the time of purchasing the gun.
Details: On Wednesday, prosecutors sought to illustrate the extent of Biden’s drug use during the period of time he purchased the firearm. The jury heard testimony from Zoe Kestan, a former girlfriend of Biden. The two met in 2018, when Biden was still an active drug user. According to the New York Times (Lean Left bias), Kestan’s testimony “reaffirmed the portrait of a tortured addict reeling from family tragedy and burdens of living up to his famous family name.” Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, also testified on Wednesday, revealing that she found drugs in Biden’s car on multiple occasions but never saw him taking drugs.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage from the New York Times struck a more sympathetic tone regarding Biden’s struggle with addiction, while coverage from the Washington Times (Lean Right bias) was more neutral, offering more specific details regarding anecdotes of Biden’s drug use revealed during testimony. This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
Featured Coverage of this Story
The muted mood of Hunter Biden’s trial, which had focused on his struggle with addiction, shifted abruptly on Wednesday, with the appearance of Zoe Kestan, a former girlfriend who described him as a charming free-spender who loved the party-hopping high life in New York.
Ms. Kestan, a dancer Mr. Biden met at a gentleman’s club in 2018, said the two immediately connected — “catching feelings” as she put it — after she sat with him in a quiet back room and clicked on a song from Fleet Foxes, an indie...
The federal gun trial against President Joe Biden’s son continues Wednesday following an emotional day in court for the Biden family Tuesday.
Hunter Biden has been accused of lying on a federal form when he bought a .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special in 2018. Hunter Biden falsely said he was not a drug user, despite being addicted to cocaine at the time. He has since pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
The prosecution called Hunter Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle to testify Wednesday and was done with her examination in...
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
A former girlfriend of Hunter Biden who met him while working as a stripper testified Wednesday that the president’s son smoked crack cocaine “every 20 minutes” and gave drug dealers the access code to his bank account to supply his addiction.
Zoe Kestan told the court that she met Hunter Biden while she was working part-time at a gentleman’s club in New York in December 2017. She detailed their drug-fueled relationship for a federal jury, saying Hunter Biden failed at several attempts to get sober, including an experiment with frog...
