The man who sold Hunter Biden a revolver in October, 2018 took center stage in a Wilmington, Delaware courtroom on Wednesday afternoon, and over the course of his testimony managed to poke a major hole in of the theories offered in Biden's defense. Attorney Abbe Lowell had previously referred to gun seller Gordon Cleveland as a "whale hunter"; a salesman looking for a big score by convincing customers to purchase things they didn't really need. Lowell suggested that Biden was talked into several purchases after he walked in to the Wilmington gun store, under pressure by Cleveland. It's an odd argument to make, given that Biden did purchase the firearm, but Cleveland quickly shot down the suggestion that Biden wasn't interested in purchasing a firearm when we went to the store. 

After a back-and-forth with Lowell about sales tactics, Cleveland said he got paid the same salary no matter what his customers bought and insisted that Hunter Biden was the one who ultimately selected the items he purchased. Cleveland also said that the reason he tries to get buyers to purchase ammo in addition to guns is because, “if you’re gonna buy a gun you might as well buy the ammunition because, what are you gonna do? Throw it at somebody?”This line prompted laughter in the overflow room. 

It's never a good sign for the defense when a question unintentionally serves as a set-up to a punchline. I'm not sure why Lowell was so intent on portraying Biden as the victim of an unscrupulous salesman, unless it was an attempt to garner sympathy with the jury. But it also makes Biden look weak and timid, unable to resist the pitch from a clerk. And ultimately, regardless of what kind of sales tactics Cleveland used, it was Biden who decided to buy the revolver and ammunition, along with a speedloader, BB gun, and utility tool. And according to Cleveland, it was also Hunter Biden who filled out the Form 4473 and attested he was not a drug addict or "unlawful" user of drugs. 

Cleveland said he saw Biden fill out the entire form and he saw him answer "no" to the question about drug use. The form reads, "Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?" During opening statements yesterday, defense lawyer Abbe Lowell tried to portray Cleveland as someone who wanted to make a sale and was willing to skirt protocol to do so. Lowell said that Hunter Biden did not fill out the entire form himself and, more importantly, that the boxes were already checked "no."

Cleveland's testimony directly contradicts Lowell's theory that Hunter Biden never actually answered the question about being an unlawful drug user or being addicted to any controlled substance. We'll see if Lowell introduces any evidence that would bolster his contention when the defense presents its side of the case, which is likely to happen on Friday. The prosecution indicated that their remaining witnesses should be fairly brief, and it's possible they'll wrap up their case later today.