'CRITICAL WORK'
Kamala Harris boasted about locking up domestic abusers weeks before husband Doug Emhoff’s ‘attack on ex’ was exposed
Emhoff previously spoke out about an affair with his daughter's nanny during his first marriage
KAMALA Harris' past statements boasting about jailing domestic abusers have resurfaced after accusations of a violent past against her husband, Doug Emhoff, came to light on Wednesday.
, 59, was allegedly involved in a booze-fueled altercation with an ex-girlfriend after an outing at the Cannes Film Festival in in May 2012.
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The second gentleman is accused of viciously striking the woman so "hard she spun around" as they waited in a valet line after leaving the gala, according to the .
The Daily Mail did not name the woman, who declined to comment to the outlet, but described her as a prominent attorney in and gave her the pseudonym "Jane."
A friend of Jane's described by the outlet as a successful businessman in New York recalled how she called him from a car, sobbing after the attack.
The friend said he received a phone call from Jane as he was ready for bed.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
"It was hard to hear her because she was sobbing," he said.
"She told me she was with a guy, and he hit her.
"It was very clear what she was telling me. She said she was with a guy, her date, she was at the Cannes Film Festival, and he hit her.
"She was in the car with the guy at the time. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to call the French police.
Most read in The US Sun
"I couldn't get a hold of her after calling back."
'VICIOUS SLAP'
Jane told the businessman friend she brought along Emhoff to the event as a plus-one invitee, according to the outlet.
Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff breaks silence on report he 'cheated on first wife with nanny and got her pregnant'
The couple, who had been drinking, had left the event at around 3 am but were met with a "gigantic line for a taxi," the friend said.
"[Jane] went up to one of the valet guys, offered him 100 euros or whatever, to get to the head of the line," he added.
"She told me she put her hand on his shoulder. Doug apparently thought she was flirting and came over and slapped her in the face."
However, Jane slapped Emhoff back, the friend recalled.
"My impression is that he had a lot to drink. She was sobbing [on the phone afterward], but she wasn't slurring her words," he continued.
"She told me that she broke up with him that night."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Emhoff's team for comment.
On Thursday, an unnamed representative for Emhoff denied the allegations.
"This report is untrue. Any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false," the representative said in a statement to .
HARRIS' TAKE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Three weeks before the accusations came to light, Vice President released a statement on the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.
The presidential candidate, 59, called the law championed by President during his time as a senator a "landmark legislation that upholds its duty to protect women and girls of our nation."
"As someone who has spent my entire career fighting for the health, safety, and wellbeing of women and girls, I have seen the impact of the Violence Against Women Act up close," Harris said in a statement released by on September 13.
"As a courtroom prosecutor, I specialized in crimes against women and children.
"As District Attorney of San Francisco, I made it a priority to prosecute sexual assault and domestic violence cases and secure higher conviction rates.
"My office also provided survivors with access to mental health counseling and job training to help get them back on their feet and regain control over their own lives."
Harris has maintained similar statements on X over the years, where she condemned crimes of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
"We need to take crimes against women and children more seriously - crimes like human trafficking, domestic violence, and child abuse," the vice president wrote in 2017.
In a 2018 post, Harris wrote, "Wore black today in support of all survivors of sexual abuse or abuse. We won't let them be silenced or ignored. #BelieveSurvivors."
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TWO MORE FRIENDS BACK UP CLAIM
Emhoff and Jane had only been dating for three months after meeting on the dating site Match.com before the violent incident, a second friend of the victim told the outlet.
The second friend, described also as an attorney, told the Daily Mail that Jane had opened up about the incident and the moments leading up to the alleged assault.
She said [Doug] turned her around by her right shoulder, and she was completely caught off guard. [Doug] hauled up and slapped her so hard she spun around.
An attorney friend of Jane said.
"They had dinner. She said Doug was very charming, and it was lovely," the attorney friend said.
"Then, I believe it was between 2-3 am, it was still raging, but she was wearing four-inch heels and a floor-length gown, so it was time to depart.
"She said there'd been no fight before he hit her. You would have thought it was this fairytale trip.
"She put her hand on the valet's shoulder, and as she was talking to him, Doug comes up.
"She said he turned her around by her right shoulder, and she was completely caught off guard. He hauled up and slapped her so hard she spun around. She said she was in utter shock.
"She was so furious, she slapped him on one side and then on the other cheek with the other hand."
A third friend said Jane opened up about the alleged assault in 2018 when then-California Senator Kamala Harris was on the news grilling Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh over sexual assault allegations.
"I don't know if it was an aggressive slap or a punch, but it was something that I know she would never forget and something that would end a relationship immediately," the third friend, described as a female executive, told the outlet.
"She had never been hit in her life. [Jane] is a gorgeous, strong woman, and you would never expect somebody to hit her."
'TRAILER TRASH MOMENT'
The friends, none of whom were named by the Daily Mail, shared photos of Emhoff with Jane in 2012.
They also described how Jane tried to flee from Doug after the alleged assault, but he forced his way into the same cab as her.
"All of a sudden, the car was there, and they were ushering her into the car," the attorney friend told the Daily Mail.
"She said she wanted to go back to the hotel without [Doug]. But while she was shutting the door, he forced himself into the car, which she did not want.
"I think she asked him, 'What the f*** was that all about,' and the only thing she could really get out of him was that he thought she was hitting on the valet.
"[Jane] told me she was so embarrassed. She couldn't believe he is the person that he is, and that it turned into this trailer trash moment."
[Doug] was a tennis fan. All he said to [Jane] was, 'Don't worry about it, you got one across the court and down the line.
An executive friend of Jane recalled.
The female executive friend told the Daily Mail that Emhoff did not apologize to Jane the following day.
"When [Doug] hit her, she hit him back, like 'Don't you ever do that again,'" she recalled.
"I asked her if [Doug] ever apologized. She said no, but he commented about the hit she gave him. It was a tennis metaphor. But no apology at all.
"[Doug] was a tennis fan. All he said to her was, 'Don't worry about it, you got one across the court and down the line."
Jane believed Emhoff's baffling message meant they were "even," she said.
EMHOFF'S INFIDELITY
All three friends also said Jane disclosed to them how Emhoff admitted to cheating on his first wife, Kerstin, with the nanny of his daughter in 2008.
Emhoff, who has spoken out about the infidelity reports, did not deny that he got his then-nanny, Najen Naylor, pregnant, according to the outlet.
A close associate of Naylor previously told the Daily Mail that she did not end up having the child.
Emhoff described his first marriage, which ended after the affair, as a turbulent time.
"During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions," Emhoff told in August.
"I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side."
However, Kerstin said their marriage ended for a "variety of reasons."
";Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons many years ago," she told CNN.
"He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me, and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together."
Emhoff met Harris in 2013 on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.
The couple got married on August 22, 2014, in a small ceremony officiated by Harris' younger sister, Maya.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Kamala Harris' statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
Thirty years ago today, the Violence Against Women Act was signed, becoming the first comprehensive federal law to focus on preventing and addressing violence against women and to provide justice and support for survivors. Written and championed by President Biden when he served in the Senate, this landmark legislation has transformed the way government upholds its duty to protect the women and girls of our nation. We would not be where we are today without his work and the tireless efforts of advocates, allies, and the brave survivors who have shared their stories and determination to ensure others do not have to experience what they did or face it alone.
As someone who has spent my entire career fighting for the health, safety, and wellbeing of women and girls, I have seen the impact of the Violence Against Women Act up close. As a courtroom prosecutor, I specialized in crimes against women and children. As District Attorney of San Francisco, I made it a priority to prosecute more sexual assault and domestic violence cases and secure higher conviction rates. My office also provided survivors with access to mental health counseling and job training to help get them back on their feet and regain control over their own lives.
As Attorney General of California, I led efforts to provide resources and support for victims of crimes while overseeing the second largest Department of Justice in our Nation. I also tackled a long-standing backlog of untested rape kits – a backlog that was an obstacle to justice for survivors and ensuring that perpetrators could not continue to victimize their communities. Additionally, I prosecuted the first case in the country against an operator of a cyber exploitation website. Then, as a United States Senator, I led legislation to make these acts a federal crime and also supported a wide range of legislation that expanded protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and trafficking.
President Biden and I have continued to prioritize this urgent work in the White House. We fought to successfully reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, strengthening the law to expand protections for LGBTQI+ survivors, survivors living on Tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages, and women and girls across our nation. I also joined the President in launching a federal task force to tackle online harassment and image-based abuse. And as the person overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, I am proud to say that we finally addressed the boyfriend loophole to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
As we reflect on the lifechanging progress we have made over the last 30 years, we recommit to the critical work ahead. Together, alongside survivors, advocates, and allies, President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that every woman throughout America has the freedom to live safe from violence and hate.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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