Doug Emhoff’s former girlfriend alleges he slapped her during argument in 2012

A spokesperson for Doug Emhoff has firmly denied allegations made by a woman who claims he slapped her during an argument at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, prior to his marriage to Kamala Harris.

The woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, spoke first to the Daily Mail, offering her account under the condition that her identity would not be revealed. The tabloid characterized her as a successful New York lawyer and published images of Emhoff and her together, with her face blurred.

According to her, the slap was so forceful that it caused her to spin around. In response to these claims, Emhoff’s spokesperson stated to Semafor, as reported by CNN, that the allegations are “untrue” and emphasized that “any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false.”

The Daily Mail referenced three unnamed friends of the woman who have lent support to her narrative. Furthermore, she expressed that Emhoff’s public image as a “perfect” spouse and a feminist stands in stark contrast to her experience, which she described as hypocritical.

“He’s being portrayed as the antithesis of who he actually is. And that is utterly shocking,” she mentioned to the Mail.

Amid this controversy, Donald Trump’s election campaign has brought attention to the allegations against Emhoff, using them to counteract the fallout from a civil verdict stating that Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, alongside multiple allegations from various women, all of which he has denied.