Doug Emhoff accused by anonymous sources claiming to be friends to his ex of slapping his then-girlfriend in France in 2012

Update: In a statement to Semafor regarding the reports, a spokesperson for Doug Emhoff said "this report is untrue" and "any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false."

Anonymous friends of an anonymous accuser have come forward to tell The Daily Mail that while waiting in a valet line late one night after the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in France Kamala Harris' now-husband Doug Emhoff slapped his then-girlfriend "so hard she spun around."

The name of the girlfriend has not been revealed, though the couple were apparently dating for three months, and her friends who brought the alleged incident to light with fresh accusations also declined to share their names. One of the friends claims the woman called him afterward and told him about it, teary-eyed in her car. Another friend said that the woman also told her about it, and still another friend said that she heard about it from the then-girlfriend in 2014 and that it was repeated to her in 2018. 

That date was notable to the friend because the retelling came after then-Senator Harris "grilled" Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. The friends claim that they have kept their identities hidden due to "fear of retaliation" by slapper Emhoff, but they did share photos of the then-girlfriend, her face blurred out, and future Second Gentleman Emhoff.

These allegations surface as Emhoff has been praised by former Biden White House Press Secretary-turned-MSNBC news host Jen Psaki, who recently gushed over Emhoff for "redefining masculinity." Emhoff, who does not wear a beard, which to Politico means he is more appealing to feminists, has said that he has always been supportive of women.

He has also been objectified as a "modern-day sex symbol" by writers at the Washington Post when a writer likened him to a "fantasy man." The columnist said that the relationship between Emhoff and his second wife, the VP, reminded her of romcoms in which "male suitors prove their worth by agreeing to walk away from their own professional accomplishments to prioritize their partner’s."

Emhoff has not addressed the 12-year-old allegations from anonymous sources. Neither has the vice president or her presidential campaign. Emhoff has previously admitted to cheating on his first wife with their nanny and fathering a child with that woman. He and Harris married a little over 10 years ago after being set up on a date by an ABC executive who remains close friends with the couple.