Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has denied a report alleging that he slapped an ex-girlfriend across the face so hard that she spun around.
The Daily Mail reported Wednesday that three friends anonymously said that Emhoff had struck the woman—who was also not identified by name—while the two waited in a valet line at France’s Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.
In a statement to Semafor, a spokesperson for Emhoff denied the allegation, saying, “this report is untrue” and “any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false.”
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One of the friends reportedly told the Mail that the woman, a “successful New York attorney,” called him—sobbing in a cab—to share the incident immediately after it happened. Another friend also said she was told soon after.
The third friend reportedly said she was told in 2018, when Harris was making headlines for her grilling Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over his sexual assault allegations during a Senate hearing.
The sources said that Emhoff had been drinking and thought that the woman was flirting with the valet attendant before he slapped her. They said that Emhoff and the woman, who had been dating for three months, broke up after the incident.
The Mail said that the friends shared photos of Emhoff and the woman together in 2012 along with documents and communications that they say corroborate parts of the story.
The woman herself did not comment to the Mail.
Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAUThe report comes two months after Emhoff admitted to having an affair with a teacher at his children’s school.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” Emhoff told CNN after it broke.
Kerstin shared a statement in support of her ex-husband, and the two remain close as co-parents.
Emhoff, who would be the first-ever First Gentleman, has built a reputation as a feminist and “wife guy” during Harris’ campaign to win the presidential election in just over a month.
On Sunday, during an interview on MSNBC, host Jen Psaki praised Emhoff for his support of his wife.
“I’ve always been like this,” Emhoff said. “To me, it’s the right thing to do, support women.”
