WILMINGTON, Del. – In a tense moment outside the courtroom where Hunter Biden is on trial on gun charges, his wife Melissa Cohen-Biden confronted former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler in the courtroom.
Ziegler, who works on trade policy at the White House, was part of an effort by Trump allies to publicly release the contents of the laptop to embarrass Joe Biden’s son in the final days of the 2020 election. Hunter Biden sued Ziegler and the company he founded, Marco Polo, last September, alleging they violated state and federal laws to create a searchable online database of 128,000 emails.
Ziegler attended both days of Hunter Biden’s criminal trial, where his first son is accused of lying on a federal form when he bought a gun, saying he was not a drug addict.
Ziegler and Cohen-Baden were both in the hallway when the court was in recess this morning.
Cohen-Baden walked up to Ziegler, pointed the finger at him and said in a loud voice: “You have no right to be here, you piece of Nazi —“.
Then he walked away. He eventually returned to the courtroom and took his seat next to First Lady Jill Biden.
Ziegler did not answer him in the hallway.
Although the trial had nothing to do with the laptop, both served to publicize Hunter Biden’s long drug addiction and exposed embarrassing episodes in his life. Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly tried to attack Joe Biden for his son’s actions, mocking his addiction and painting him as corrupt.
Asked about the hallway confrontation afterward, Ziegler told NBC News, “It’s sad. I’ve been sitting here the whole time and I haven’t approached anybody.”
He added: “For the record, I’m not a Nazi. I believe in the US Constitution. I didn’t say a word to them.”
Ziegler said it was “prudent” for him to attend the trial.
When asked about Hunter’s ongoing legal battle with Biden, Ziegler called the lawsuit “completely frivolous.”
Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen-Biden got married in 2019. During opening statements, defense attorney Abbe Lowell told jurors that Cohen-Biden played a role in Hunter Biden finally getting sober.