HUNTER Biden was "sleeping on a car smoking crack" just days after he "illegally" purchased a gun, shocking texts sent to his late brother’s wife say.
The bombshell messages were revealed in court as President Joe Biden's son, 54, faces three firearm-related charges for allegedly owning a gun while being an active drug user in 2018.
The shock texts show his brother’s widow Hallie Biden, 50, telling Hunter Biden: “I called you 500 times in the past 24 hours.”
To which Hunter Biden replies saying he was parked up on 4th street and Rodney and that he had been “sleeping on a car smoking crack”, FBI agent Erika Jensen testifying at his trial said.
He then goes on to reveal this is his "truth”.
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Jurors are set to hear in the coming days about Hallie Biden's alleged crack addiction that grew during a brief relationship with Hunter Biden.
The pair were said to have been involved in a sordid affair.
It’s believed that Hallie took the gun from Hunter Biden when finding out about its illegal nature before tossing it into the garbage at a nearby market.
The weapon was later found by someone collecting cans and handed over to the cops.
Overall, he is charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of the gun in October 2018, and faces three firearm-related charges for allegedly owning a gun while being an active drug user in 2018.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Joe Biden’s son is accused of knowingly lying on a form about his illicit drug use in order to buy a revolver and bullets from a gun shop in Wilmington, Delaware.
Prosecutors told the jury in their opening statement at the the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building that Hunter Biden was trying to score drugs just days after he lied on the form.
An audio excerpt of his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things was played for jurors in which he talked about going back to Delaware around the time of the gun purchase.
Federal prosecutor Derek Hines said during the bombshell trial: "No one is allowed to lie on a federal form like that, even Hunter Biden.
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"He crossed the line when he chose to buy a gun and lied about a federal background check ... the defendant's choice to buy a gun is why we are here.
"When the defendant filled out that form, he knew he was a drug addict, and prosecutors don't have to prove he was using that day.
"Addiction is depressing, but Hunter Biden's addiction isn't the reason for the case."
Hines added: "It was illegal because he was user of crack and a drug addict. No one is above the law."
The testimony continued with a cross-examination of an FBI agent who was being questioned over the timing of Hunter Biden's drug use.
As a 2021 book about his path to sobriety has also been cited as evidence.
First lady Jill Biden, 73, went to court on Wednesday to support her stepson.
Hunter Biden's ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, 54, also took to the stand.
She was married to the president's second son, who Joe Biden shares with late teacher Neilia Hunter Biden, for roughly 20 years.
Buhle told jurors she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on the porch of their home in Washington DC a decade ago as well as crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia in his car.
She has claimed this alleged drug abuse and infidelity led to the breakdown of their marriage.
Prosecutors argue that the testimony is necessary to show Hunter Biden's state of mind when he bought the gun.
The Delaware trial comes after the collapse of a plea deal with prosecutors that would have resolved the gun case and a separate California tax case and avoided the spectacle of a trial.
Hunter Biden has since pleaded not guilty and has said he's being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department.
Claiming Republicans slammed the plea agreement as a sweetheart deal for the president's son.
The 12-person jury heard opening statements on Tuesday and testimony from Jensen, who read out some of Biden's personal messages - including some that came from a laptop he left at a repair shop.
In 2020, the contents made their way to Republicans and were publicly leaked, revealing some highly personal messages about his work and his life, leaked information Hunter has since sued for.
Attorneys said jurors would also hear testimony from the president's brother James Biden, 75, who is close with Hunter.
James has helped Hunter through rehab stints in the past.
If convicted, the son of the president faces up to 25 years in prison.
Despite the maximum penalty, Hunter Biden is a first-time offender with some even claiming the judge might not give him anytime behind bars.
The ongoing trial unfolds shortly after Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City.
The two criminal cases are unrelated, but their proximity underscores how the courts have taken centre stage during the 2024 United States presidential campaign.
STRUGGLES AND SCANDALS
Last summer, Hunter Biden appeared to have reached a plea agreement with prosecutors to resolve tax and weapons allegations against him and avoid prison time, the BBC reports.
But the bargain fell apart in court, and the prosecutor overseeing the federal investigation into Hunter's suspected crimes ultimately prosecuted him on firearms charges.
In December, a second indictment charged young Biden with failing to pay at least $1.4 million (£1.1 million) in federal taxes owed for tax years 2016-19.
Congressional Republicans have held impeachment hearings against President Biden to investigate alleged influence peddling by his son.
Both Biden's have denied wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the 54-year-old's personal troubles, ranging from alcohol and drug abuse to relationship strife, have become widely known.
President Biden shared a statement ahead of his son's trial at the federal courthouse in the Bidens' hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
As president, Joe Biden stated that he would not discuss the criminal prosecution, but that as a parent, he has "boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength".
"I am the president, but I am also a dad," declared the US leader.
"Our son is loved by Jill and myself, and we are really proud of the guy he has become.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden still has options to fight his federal gun charge, a legal expert has said.
