What to know about Hunter Biden’s criminal trial
- Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's only surviving son, faces three charges tied to the possession of a gun while using narcotics. He has pleaded not guilty.
- The prosecutors rested their case around 10:30 a.m. after the jury heard from the government's final two witnesses, forensic chemist Jason Brewer and Drug Enforcement Administration supervisory agent Joshua Romig.
- Hunter Biden's eldest daughter, Naomi Biden, took the stand in his defense, testifying about visiting him during his rehab stint, borrowing his truck and a late-night text he sent her around when he bought his gun. Her father wiped away tears as she testified about being "proud" of him for trying to get clean.
- The jury was unexpectedly dismissed early for the day around 1:45 p.m. and the defense said it would no longer call James Biden, the president's brother, as a witness. It's unclear if Hunter Biden will take the stand next week before closing arguments begin.
Hunter Biden's defense to decide on last witness over the weekend
Hunter Biden's defense team is not going to call James Biden or any experts after all.
His legal team is going to make a decision on the “last witness” over the weekend. The last potential witness they're deciding over is believed to be Hunter Biden himself.
The prosecution is going to decide on whether they put on a rebuttal case, after they find out about the defense’s remaining witness.
Jury has been dismissed early for the weekend
The jury has been dismissed for the weekend, but it's unclear why.
Naomi Biden said she's never used drugs
Before Naomi Biden left the stand, Leo Wise asked her whether she had seen any drug paraphernalia or remnants in her father's Ford Raptor when she borrowed the vehicle in October.
"No," Biden said. Wise asked Naomi if she put any drug paraphernalia in the truck herself, to which she responded "no" in a hushed voice.
The prosecutor then asked Naomi if she herself had ever used drugs.
"No," she said.
During Naomi's testimony, her grandmother, first lady Jill Biden, appeared very uncomfortable.
Naomi Biden hugs father after she provides testimony
Naomi Biden hugged her father as she walked past the defense table when the court broke for lunch, but it was a quick hug — not the regular big Biden family embraces we’ve been seeing up until now.
She appeared to wipe away a tear as she walked down the aisle of the courtroom toward the door with her husband. In the hallway she wore big sunglasses — at one point she exchanged a hug with a family friend before getting into the elevator with her husband, Peter.
Normally, when the court goes to break, there are big hugs, fist bumps, high fives and laughter among the Biden family and supporters as they stand up and leave the courtroom. Following Naomi Biden's testimony, this was the first time they didn't do that. Everyone was seemingly silent, many with their arms crossed, and walked out with serious faces.
Hunter Biden apologized to daughter by text that he was so unreachable
On the afternoon of Oct. 18, Naomi Biden told her father that she was in Brooklyn, but Peter could bring the car to him to swap. She also texted her dad asking if she would see him before he left and added a sad face emoji, according to prosecutor Leo Wise.
“I’m really sorry dad, I can’t take this. I don’t know what to say. I just miss you and want to hang out with you,” she texted Hunter, according to Wise.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so unreachable, it’s not fair to you,” Hunter replied, according to Wise.
Asked if she knew why he was so unreachable, she said no.
Did he tell you he was meeting with someone named Frankie? Wise asked.
No, she said.
Did he tell you he had given Frankie an access code to his Wells Fargo account, Wise asked.
No, she said.
Frankie is the name Zoe Kestan gave for a drug dealer that met Hunter at the Four Seasons hotel in New York while the two of them were staying there in the winter of 2018.
Prosecutor questions Naomi Biden about late-night texts with her father
Prosecutor Leo Wise questioned Naomi Biden about text messages she exchanged with her dad around Oct. 17, 2018, about a trip he was taking to New York.
The messages were not entered into evidence, but were offered to refresh Naomi’s memory. Wise asked her if she remembered receiving a text from her dad shortly before midnight on Oct. 17 asking if she was awake.
She didn’t respond until much later, closer to 2 a.m., and said she had fallen asleep earlier. Hunter Biden then responded, asking if her now-husband, Peter, could bring the truck to 57th and 5th Ave. to swap cars.
“That’s what the time stamp says, but I don’t recall it being that late,” she said about the messages.
“Do you know what your father was doing at 2 o’clock in the morning and why he was asking for the car then?” Wise said.
“No,” Naomi said, adding that she didn't remember any specific messages except that they exchanged cars with her dad and he “still seemed good and I was hopeful,” she said.
After Hunter Biden's 2 a.m. text asking for the truck, Naomi Biden replied “right now?” he didn’t respond after that, Wise said.
Prosecutor questions Naomi Biden about father's drug use
Prosecutor Leo Wise began cross-examination of Naomi Biden and asked when she first became aware that her dad was struggling with addiction.
“I knew that he was struggling with addiction,” she said, adding, “After my uncle died, things got bad,” a reference to Hunter's older brother, Beau Biden.
Wise appeared to call into question whether Naomi Biden could definitively say whether her father was using drugs at any particular time, specifically in Oct. 2018.
She explained that in the broader time period that included that year, she understood that he was struggling with addiction.
“You never saw him where he was using?” Wise asked in several different ways before Naomi Biden eventually said, “No, I never saw him use.”
Asked if she would recognize whether he was using or not, she said, “I don’t know."
“When he was using, it’s fair to say you wouldn’t know what that looks like?” Wise said.
“I guess … I guess not,” she answered.
Naomi Biden says her dad seemed 'hopeful' in October 2018
At some point at the end of October 2018, the month he bought the gun, Naomi Biden and her then-boyfriend took her dad's truck (which was in D.C. at the time) up to New York where they were moving in together. At some point after that, her father drove up to New York to visit her and get the truck back.
Naomi Biden testified that her dad seemed “hopeful” when she saw him in New York in October 2018, the month he bought the gun. After their visit they switched cars — Hunter Biden taking his truck back and his daughter keeping Joe Biden’s Cadillac. She testified that at the time she borrowed the truck, the interior was in good condition and wasn’t messy.
Lowell asked if there was any drug paraphernalia strewn about the Cadillac when she used it. “No,” she said. She said the car was in good condition, with no laundry or trash in the car.
After visiting her father in California, Naomi Biden says she sent him a text saying she was “so proud” of him and proud that she was able to introduce him to Peter.
"As far as you know he went back to rehab after that?" Lowell asked. Yes, she said.
Naomi Biden testifies about visiting her dad while he was in rehab
Naomi Biden testified that she visited her dad with her now-husband, Peter, in the summer of 2018 in Los Angeles while he was in rehab.
She met her dad at a coffee shop and they had lunch where they met his sober coach. Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell asked for the name of the rehab facility. She couldn’t immediately recall, prompting Lowell to ask if it was called The View.
“Yeah, it was. Sorry, I’m nervous,” Naomi Biden said.
After visiting her father in California, Naomi said she sent him a text saying she was “so proud” of him and proud that she was able to introduce him to Peter.
Hunter Biden could be seen wiping away tears as his daughter testified, the most emotion he's shown publicly throughout this trial.
Naomi Biden, Hunter Biden’s eldest daughter, takes the stand
Hunter Biden’s eldest daughter, Naomi Biden, has taken the witness stand.
She began her testimony by introducing herself to the jury, including where she lives, her job, her education and her family. She’s the daughter of Hunter Biden and Kathleen Buhle, she said. Lowell asked if she had any siblings as well.
“Two sisters, and a brother, who I love,” she said. She answers the questions quietly.