Prosecution Rests Case in Hunter Biden Gun Trial

WILMINGTON, Del.—The prosecution rested its case on the fifth day of the federal gun trial into Hunter Biden after calling two expert witnesses to the stand.

Prosecutors first called FBI forensic chemist Jason Brewer to testify, who was tasked with testing the leather pouch that Mr. Biden’s gun was found in when police retrieved it in October 2018.

A man had found it while rummaging through the garbage can where Mr. Biden’s romantic partner, Hallie Biden, disposed of it after finding it in Mr. Biden’s car.

Mr. Brewer testified that the trace amounts of a white substance on the pouch tested positive for cocaine.

Prosecutors then called Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Joshua Romig to the stand, who was asked to interpret text messages Mr. Biden allegedly sent in 2018 with coded references to drugs.

Mr. Romig was cross-examined by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, who claimed there weren’t any drug-related texts between August 2018 and November 2018.

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Mr. Romig pointed out two in October 2018 where Mr. Biden said he was smoking crack.

Mr. Biden is facing three felony charges related to the 2018 firearm purchase.

Authorities accuse him of lying to the federally licensed gun store by illegally claiming on his application that he was not a drug user at the time and then unlawfully possessed the gun for 11 days.

Mr. Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his defense attorneys argue that if he was addicted to crack cocaine when he purchased the gun, he was in “denial” and, therefore, could not have lied on the form.

Attorneys also argued that a crack addict cannot “function” enough to apply for and purchase a gun, but multiple ex-romantic partners of Mr. Biden have testified that he was often “high functioning” while using the drug.

Mr. Biden is facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted in the federal gun case, although first-time offenders typically receive less than the maximum sentence.

This is a developing story.