Hunter Biden’s lawyer tries to throw  his exes beneath the bus: Legal professional says Hallie was ‘extremely silly’ throwing out gun, accuses stripper of mendacity and slams ‘merciless’ Naomi questions as jury begins deliberations

Hunter Biden’s lawyer turned on the president’s son’s exes and accused prosecutors of being ‘merciless’ to his daughter Naomi in extraordinary closing arguments in his federal gun trial on Monday.

Protection lawyer Abbe Lowell stated Hunter’s brother’s widow and ex Hallie Biden did one thing ‘extremely silly’ when she threw his gun within the trash at a grocery retailer in 2016.

He additionally tried to undercut the testimony of his former stripper girlfriend Zoe Kestan, by claiming she had no proof he was utilizing medication after they had been collectively and accused her of mendacity when she stated he ‘smoked crack each 20 minutes’.

‘No pipes, no scales, no medication, not even alcohol,’ he stated of Kestan’s testimony earlier than the jury was despatched out for deliberations. They had been despatched house for the day after an hour after failing to succeed in a verdict. 

The 54-year-old Hunter’s destiny is now within the fingers of 12 of his friends who will resolve if he turns into the primary son of a sitting president to be a convicted felon.

He faces a most of as much as 25 years in jail for every of the three federal firearms fees he’s dealing with.

In a highly-charged day in courtroom, Ashley Biden ran out in tears and the prosecutors disclosed bombshell textual content messages Hunter despatched to a drug seller across the time he purchased the Colt Cobra revolver on the heart of the case.

DailyMail.com additionally revealed he withdrew $800 in money from an ATM and met with a seller hours earlier than he went to the gun retailer. 

Hunter was once more joined by a big help group of members of the family together with first woman Jill Biden and uncle Jim Biden – who has been scrutinized for allegedly utilizing Joe’s identify in enterprise offers. 

In his closing assertion, Lowell accused prosecutors of asking Hunter’s daughter  Naomi if she used medication to fill ‘gaping holes’ of their case.

He banged his fist on the lectern and glared on the opposing facet as he delivered the stark message.

Prosecutor Derek Hines rejected protection solutions that questioning of Naomi, 30, earlier within the trial ‘terribly merciless’.

Hines stated: ‘Who referred to as the defendant’s daughter as a witness on this case? Not us.’

Naomi was referred to as by the protection after which cross-examined by the prosecution.

Hines stated a number of issues Lowell had stated in his closing arguments had been ‘fully unfair’.

That additionally included suggesting that the jury has Hunter Biden’s life in its fingers.

The three fees the jury are contemplating are mendacity to a federally licensed gun seller, making a false declare on an utility by saying he was not a drug consumer, and illegally having the gun for 11 days.

The protection argued that Hallie had completed one thing ‘extremely silly’ on October twenty third, 2018.

Hallie threw out the gun in a dumpster behind a grocery retailer when she found  it.

Lowell went on to say that she might have thrown it out ‘for love’ of Hunter.

Hallie and Hunter engaged in a romantic relationship after the dying of his brother Beau, and used medication collectively.

Lowell additionally accused DEA agent Joshua Romig of trumping up proof that Hunter routinely withdrew hundreds of {dollars} in money as an ‘inference of drug use’, whereas admitting that the cash ‘completely might be’ used for different purchases.

He stated Romig and prosecutors had been ‘making a suspicion or conjecture and hoping you received’t discover the distinction.’

Lowell left open the likelihood that Hunter had relapsed within the fall of 2018 into his alcohol dependancy, however stated this didn’t imply he was again utilizing crack.

He stated that the StarQuest Shooters gun retailer salesman Cleveland was cautious who he offered weapons to, and that ‘on that day Mr. Biden didn’t exhibit any of the issues’ that will have given him pause when promoting, together with glassy eyes, smelling of medication or alcohol, or obvious inebriation.

The protection lawyer identified that after Hallie ‘did one thing extremely silly’ by throwing Hunter’s gun in a public trash can, Hunter informed her to name the police, cooperated with the investigation, and was handled as a sufferer not a perpetrator.

‘Hunter has not requested anybody to excuse or forgive him,’ Lowell stated, however added that it was ‘unfair’ to ‘take Hunter’s phrases about being an addict out of context’.

After the jury went out Hunter exited arm-in-arm together with his spouse Melissa. 

Lowell informed the jury it was ‘time to finish this case’.

He criticized the prosecution for treating incidents in Hunter’s 4 years of dependancy ‘like an accordion’, squeezing collectively distant occasions to make them look like they occurred in a brief house of time.

‘They take varied years, make a continuum, then shrink it down,’ he stated.

Lowell argued Hunter had loads of time between his debauchery in early 2018 and his gun buy in October to get sober, and that he did so.

He likened the prosecutors to magicians, enjoying a sleight of hand with the proof by distracting the jury with one set of info whereas making an attempt to cover inconvenient data.

Lowell stated there was ‘nothing’ in Hunter’s guide about medication between his keep in Los Angeles within the first half of 2018, and his gun buy in October – although excerpts quoted by Smart earlier appeared to contradict that declare.

He poured chilly water on Kestan’s testimony, saying that she didn’t have precise images of Hunter with crack pipes or medication in September of 2018, when she stated he was smoking crack each 20 minutes, whereas she did have that proof for earlier months.

‘Within the vital time it’s a must to consider Zoe Kestan… what does she not have?’ he stated.

He alluded to the six hours over three conferences she had with prosecutors ‘to arrange, or ought to I say rehearse’ her testimony – prompting an objection from Hines.

‘She wouldn’t exit with Hunter till she came upon who he was,’ Lowell added, portray her as a gold-digger who may lie on the stand.

Turning to Hallie, Lowell reminded the jury of Hallie’s confusion and poor recollection throughout his cross-examination of her, about the place she allegedly discovered medication and paraphernalia in Hunter’s automotive on October 23 2018.

‘She might bear in mind what the prosecutors requested her. Not a lot different issues,’ he stated, wryly.

He additionally claimed there was affordable doubt over Hunter’s 4am October 16 go to to a 7-Eleven, evidenced by geolocated movies he texted, recovered by investigators.

‘They wish to provide the inference that what he was doing was shopping for medication on the 7-Eleven, moderately than shopping for a cup of espresso ready for Hallie,’ Lowell stated, including that believing it was to fulfill a seller was ‘suspicion or conjecture’, not reality.

He defined away Hunter’s texts to Hallie about assembly a seller, saying: ‘He wasn’t pondering 5 years later he’d be sitting in a courtroom making an attempt to clarify the best way they talked to one another.’

His half-sister Ashley exited early throughout the prosecutor’s closing assertion, crying – not for the primary time throughout the trial.

Hunter’s aunt Valerie Owens, with whom he’s very shut, wore darkish sun shades inside that hid any tears.

Getting the final phrase within the arguments, prosecutor Derek Hines turned the case on its head, itemizing all of the testimony he stated the jury must consider had been lies in an effort to acquit the defendant.

Hines stated Hunter would have needed to have been mendacity in his textual content messages to Hallie that he was assembly a seller and ‘smoking crack’ within the two days after he purchased the gun.

Hunter would have needed to have been mendacity in his personal guide, during which he stated he ‘relapsed’ in September 2018 and continued utilizing medication in October.

The jury would wish to consider Hunter’s ex-lover and brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, was mendacity when she stated she discovered drug detritus and paraphernalia in Hunter’s truck on October 23.

Hines stated that if Hunter Biden had merely been an addict battling private issues ‘we might not be right here on this courtroom.’

Hunter as a substitute is on trial for getting a gun and mendacity about being a drug addict when he did so, Hines stated.

Hines informed the jury the proof clearly reveals Hunter Biden had a sample of unlawful drug use on the time he purchased the gun.

Prosecutors do not need to show Hunter used medication on the day he purchased the gun or that he was beneath the affect whereas within the gun retailer, he stated.

Smart targeted on Kestan’s testimony, saying that primarily based on her description of Hunter smoking crack each 20 minutes weeks earlier than he purchased the gun, ‘you possibly can convict primarily based on these info alone.’

In addition they highlighted the $150,000 Hunter pulled from ATMs throughout the three months from September via November 2018, arguing that at the least a few of it was spent on medication.