Who is Hallie Biden, the ex-sister-in-law and lover of Hunter Biden who threw a gun from his car

Hallie Biden (née Olivere), an American school counsellor, is the widow of Beau Biden, who was the eldest son of current U.S. president Joe Biden. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015. They had two children together.

After Beau Biden’s death, Hallie Biden began a romantic relationship with Joe Biden’s second son, Hunter Biden, in 2016, which ended in 2019.

Why is Hallie Biden in the news?

Hallie Biden testified this week in the Hunter Biden federal gun trial, in which Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days. He bought the gun on 12 October 2018, in Wilmington, Delaware.

Hunter Biden’s defense team argues he was in recovery at the time he bought the gun, so his statement on the form that he was not a drug user was truthful.

Hallie Biden’s evidence is crucial in the trial. She admitted smoking crack cocaine with Hunter Biden, but said she had stopped in August 2018. She explained that she had been searching the truck for the drug on the morning of October 23, 2018 because she was worried Hunter Biden was continuing to use it.

She testified that she “panicked” when she searched his vehicle and found a gun in the glove compartment.

“I didn’t want him to hurt himself, and I didn’t want my kids to find it and hurt themselves,” the mother of two said.

“I was afraid to kind of touch it. I didn’t know it was loaded,” Ms Biden added. She said she had wrapped the .38 Colt Cobra into a leather pouch, which she put into a little shopping bag, before driving to a nearby store and throwing it in a trash can.

She said she realised “it was a stupid idea”, but said she was “panicking”.

Hunter Biden realised the next day the gun was missing and urged her to return to the store to retrieve the weapon, which she did, but the gun had gone, having been discovered by Edward Banner, an 80-year-old pensioner who was looking for recyclables.

Biden could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. President Biden has said he would not use his powers to pardon his son if found guilty.

Hunter Biden tax trial

Hunter Biden is also scheduled for trial in September on charges he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.