Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, allegedly slapped a former girlfriend at a gala in 2012. According to reports, the incident took place at the Cannes Film Festival in May of that year, where Emhoff, now 59, reportedly struck the woman while waiting on a valet line following the event. The claims were made by three unnamed friends of the woman, according to the Daily Mail.
The woman, described as a successful New York attorney, allegedly called one of her friends in tears shortly after the incident, while she was in a cab. According to the report, the friend stated that Emhoff slapped her so hard that she spun around, reacting to what was described as a confrontation over her supposed flirting with another man. Another friend of the woman corroborated the story, saying that the woman had informed her of the event shortly after it occurred. At that time, the woman had been dating Emhoff for about three months, the friend said.
A third individual recalled that the woman mentioned the incident in 2018, during the period when Senator Kamala Harris was questioning then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations. The report notes that the three sources, who wished to remain anonymous due to concerns of retaliation from Emhoff, provided photographs of Emhoff and the woman together in 2012, along with other documents, which the Daily Mail claims support some details of the incident.
The woman, who was not named in the report, declined to comment on the allegations. The Harris campaign has also not responded to the claims as of yet.
