Hunter Biden gun trial: 'Politics never came into play,' juror says after guilty verdict
The president's son was convicted of unlawfully purchasing a firearm.
President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has been found guilty on three felony counts related to his purchase of a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs.
The younger Biden, who pleaded not guilty last October after being indicted by special counsel David Weiss, denied the charges. The son of a sitting president had never before faced a criminal trial.
The trial came on the heels of former President Donald Trump's conviction on felony charges related to a hush money payment made to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
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Gun store clerk back on the stand
Gordon Cleveland, the gun store clerk who sold Hunter Biden the firearm at the center of the case, returned to the stand.
Cleveland was being cross-examined by the defense after testifying for the prosecution yesterday.
Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden's former romantic partner who is the widow of his brother Beau Biden, is expected to be the next witness following Cleveland.
Proceedings begin with sidebar
Court resumed this morning with a sidebar conference.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys were arguing before the judge about an exhibit the defense wants to introduce when Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden's former romantic partner, takes the stand as expected later today.
Separately, defense attorney Abbe Lowell signaled his intention to file a motion to have the case thrown out after the government rests.
The long-shot bid will be filed on grounds of constitutional shortcomings and insufficient evidence, Lowell said.
Lowell also said his witnesses -- which could include President Joe Biden's brother James Biden and Hunter Biden's daughter Naomi Biden -- may not be available until Friday morning.
Hunter Biden arrives at courthouse
Hunter Biden has arrived at the Wilmington courthouse for today's proceedings.
Like previous days, he was accompanied by his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.
Hallie Biden expected to testify as government looks to rest case
The gun store clerk who sold Hunter Biden the handgun at the center of the government's case returns to the witness stand this morning on Day 4 of the trial as prosecutors look to wrap up their case against the president's son.
Prosecutors said at the end of Wednesday's proceedings that they plan to call six more witnesses -- including Hallie Biden, perhaps their most crucial witness -- before resting their case, which could happen as soon as this afternoon.
Defense counsel have leaned into their claim that Hunter Biden was not actively abusing drugs in October of 2018, the month of his gun purchase, and therefore did not knowingly lie on the federal firearm application form.
Zoe Kestan, one of Hunter Biden's ex-girlfriends, testified Wednesday that she witnessed him smoking crack the month before and the month after his gun purchase, but had "no idea" what he was doing in October.
To fill that gap, prosecutors plan to call Hallie Biden, his brother's widow with whom Hunter Biden was romantically involved.
"The evidence will show that during those 11 days, the defendant continued to use drugs and to talk about his drug use with Hallie," prosecutor Derek Hines said.
'Too many patterns' of drug use to acquit, juror tells ABC News
A juror in Hunter Biden's gun trial told ABC News that he did not know who Hunter Biden was before the trial started, and that his proximity to power made no difference to the jury.
"Everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes," the juror said. "And those mistakes can have serious consequences -- not just for them, but for everyone else."
The juror -- whose father was killed by gunfire when he was young -- said prosecutors successfully showed that Hunter Biden's drug use around the time of his gun purchase was "too close for me to consider him not a user or addict at that point."
"There's too many patterns that I can see that showed that he was using it when he purchased the gun," the juror said.