Doug Emhoff Assault Allegations—What We Know, What We Don’t

Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, has been accused of slapping a former girlfriend greater than a decade in the past, in line with a DailyMail.com report. Emhoff has denied the allegations.

The second gentleman allegedly struck the girl within the face whereas ready in a valet line after an occasion throughout the Cannes Movie Competition in France in Might 2012, three unnamed pals advised the outlet.

The outlet has a right-wing bias, in line with AllSides, which estimates the perceived political bias of content material on on-line information shops.

The girl had been relationship Emhoff for about three months on the time of the alleged assault, the outlet reported, after connecting on relationship web site Match.com.

A spokesperson for Emhoff advised Semafor in a press release, “the report is unfaithful,” and “any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a girl is fake.” Newsweek has contacted Emhoff, in addition to Harris’ workplace and marketing campaign, for remark through e mail.

DailyMail.com didn’t identify the girl, as an alternative utilizing the pseudonym Jane and describing her solely as a profitable New York lawyer. Nevertheless, a video from the occasion reveals a girl in a crimson costume with Emhof, and screengrabs had been posted on social media by Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, a conservative on-line journal.

The buddies who spoke to the outlet had been additionally not named, which DailyMail.com mentioned was as a result of they feared retaliation.

The report got here as Emhoff, an leisure lawyer, has been hitting the marketing campaign path in assist of Harris. If she wins the presidency in November, he can be the nation’s first first gentleman.

The alleged assault is alleged to have occurred greater than a yr earlier than Harris and Emhoff met on a blind date arrange by a mutual buddy in 2013. They married in 2014.

Jane’s pals advised DailyMail.com that she had obtained tickets to attend the Basis for AIDS Analysis Gala Dinner, which was held on Might 24, 2012, on the Lodge du Cap in Antibes, close to Cannes, and introduced Emhoff as her visitor.

They supplied pictures of the girl posing with Emhoff on the gala, in addition to documentation with particulars about their journey to the south of France across the time of the alleged assault.

One buddy advised the DailyMail.com that Jane had referred to as him sobbing shortly after the alleged assault occurred. “I did not know whether or not to name the French police. I could not come up with her after calling again,” he mentioned.

It was not clear if the alleged assault was reported to authorities.

The buddy mentioned Jane had supplied particulars in later conversations.

“It was one thing like 3 a.m. They had been making an attempt to get out of there they usually each had been ingesting. There was a big line for taxis,” he mentioned.

“She went as much as one of many valet guys, provided him 100 euros or no matter, to get to the top of the road. She advised me she put her hand on his shoulder. Doug apparently thought that she was flirting, and came to visit and slapped her within the face. She slapped him again.”

The buddy mentioned Jane had advised him she ended her relationship with Emhoff that evening.

A second buddy, a feminine lawyer, advised DailyMail.com that Jane had additionally advised her in regards to the alleged assault.

She was “fully caught off guard,” the buddy mentioned. “He hauled up and slapped her so exhausting she spun round. She mentioned she was in utter shock. She was so livid, she slapped him on one aspect, after which on the opposite cheek with the opposite hand.”

The third buddy mentioned Jane had first advised her in 2014 that she had dated Emhoff and detailed the alleged assault in 2018, when Harris, then a senator, was making headlines about her questioning of Supreme Court docket Justice Brett Kavanaugh over allegations of sexual misconduct throughout his affirmation listening to.

The allegations got here after Emhoff acknowledged in August that he had an affair throughout his first marriage to Kristen Emhoff, after alleged particulars about it had been printed by DailyMail.com. The outlet reported that Emhoff had an affair with a girl who was a nanny to his kids and taught at their faculty.

“Throughout my first marriage, Kerstin and I went via some powerful occasions on account of my actions. I took accountability, and within the years since, we labored via issues as a household and have come out stronger on the opposite aspect,” Emhoff mentioned in a press release supplied to CNN.

Kerstin Emhoff, a movie producer, additionally issued her personal assertion.

“Doug and I made a decision to finish our marriage for quite a lot of causes, a few years in the past,” she mentioned. “He is a good father to our children, continues to be an excellent buddy to me and I’m actually happy with the nice and cozy and supportive blended household Doug, Kamala, and I’ve constructed collectively.”

The pair had been married in 1992 and have two kids, Cole and Ella Emhoff. They divorced in 2010.

Replace 10/4/2024, 1:34 a.m. ET: This text has been up to date to incorporate feedback from Doug Emhoff’s spokesperson denying the allegations.