WILMINGTON, Del - A felony gun trial is a strange place to see a presidential family reunion.
But that's what jurors - and the rest of the world - have seen in the first three days of the Hunter Biden case in U.S. District Court in Delaware.
“Biden family is Delaware,” says the Rev. Dr. Christopher Bullock, seated in the second row behind Hunter Biden's defense table. He calls himself the Bidens’ spiritual adviser and is often garnering attention from the family during the case. “There is a lot of support here for them.”
It's not an easy place for any family to sit and watch. Some of the testimony is gut-wrenching, including tales of a crack pipe being found by Hunter Biden's ex-wife in their home and stories of his incessant drug use described by an ex-girlfriend.
Nevertheless, it's been a full-court press of Biden family members in the front row over the first three days of the trial. That includes first lady Jill Biden, who's shown up each day. Hunter’s half-sister sister Ashley Biden has been a frequent presence, as well as Hunter Biden's wife Melissa and Peter Neal, Hunter’s son-in-law.
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A courtroom packed with so many of the first family is a rarity - and even rarer still is what the case reveals about a first family wrestling with problems. Breaks in the courtroom routine often see the Biden supporters huddling, leaning into each other, massaging shoulders and clasping hands. Many got a hug and a kiss from the other confidants.
Amid testimony of Biden's desperate addiction to drugs and spiraling life and career, Jill Biden could be seen embracing her family pastor. Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden extended her arms and blew kisses to her friends in courtroom. Jack Ownes, who is married to the president’s sister Valerie, patted Jill Biden’s sister Bonny’s head as he got through to his seat in the front row.
The second row has been filled with longtime friends and trusted allies including Francis Person, the president's former aide; Kevin Morris, Hunter’s friend and Hollywood lawyer; Anthony Bernal, senior adviser to the first lady; Ricky Mouse, a friend of the president for 57 years; and the Bidens family pastor, the Rev. Bullock.
From time to time, some of the Bidens are called to testify for the prosecution under subpoena. Those include Kathleen Buhle, Hunter’s ex-wife wife of 24 years, and the mother of three of his children who took the witness stand on Wednesday.
Buhle testified about discovering a crack pipe in 2015 in the ashtray of a side porch of their home in Washington, D.C., while they were married. He acknowledged smoking crack to her that day.
"I was worried, scared," she said. "His behavior had changed."
But her biggest fear was her three children discovering the drugs or drug paraphernalia in their father's car.
"When my daughter would take his car, I would check to make sure there they were not driving with drugs in them," she said.
The first lady was in the courtroom both before and after Buhle's testimony - but was missing during it.
On Thursday, Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter’s brother Beau, with whom he was romantically involved, will take the stand as a witness for the prosecution. The prosecution said in its opening remarks that Hunter introduced her to crack.
The gun saga was set into motion with Hallie throwing Hunter’s gun in a trash can located outside Janssen’s Market, a gourmet grocery store in Greenville. Prosecutors are alleging Hunter lied on the form about his drug use to purchase the handgun. One spectator in the courtroom on Wednesday included a 21-year-old college student who said she’d come by out of curiosity.
A Greenville resident, she said it was surreal that the grocery store is at the center of the firestorm.
Another witness, Zoe Kestan, Hunter's former yearlong girlfriend testified that he smoked crack every 20 minutes and said she knew about his struggles and attempts to get sober. Yet, when he asked her if she could help him find drugs, she obliged, contacting an acquaintance who procured it for him.
During that testimony, Hunter's wife could be seen shaking her head.
The Bidens' family pastor said he was praying for the family and that if President Biden could be at the trial, he would be. The president is in France to mark D-Day and participate in other engagements. After the day's proceedings in court, the first lady was en route to join her husband in France.
“It’s times like these that we need to stand with the Bidens," Bullock said.
During a break in the proceedings on Wednesday, Jill Biden, wearing a fuchsia blazer, hung back in her seat with her sister Bonny by her side. Hunter left the defense table and sidled next to them, engaged in an intense chat. But before he stood up to leave with his wife holding his hand, he gave the first lady a hug and a kiss.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY.You can follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @SwapnaVenugopal
