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The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported that Doug Emhoff, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris, has been accused of assaulting a former girlfriend named “Jane” during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.
Emhoff reportedly slapped Jane in the face after misinterpreting her behavior with a valet.
Although no criminal charges were brought against Emhoff, eyewitness accounts confirmed Jane’s reaction and her decision to end their relationship that night.
“It was something like 3 a.m.,” one inside source stated. “They were trying to get out of there, and they both had been drinking. There was a gigantic line for taxis.
“[Jane] went up to one of the valet guys, offered him 100 Euros or whatever, to get to the head of the line. She told me she put her hand on his shoulder.”
“Doug apparently thought that she was flirting and came over and slapped her in the face.”
“She put her hand on the valet’s shoulder, and as she was talking to him, Doug comes up,” another source said. “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 had never been hit in her life. [Jane] is a gorgeous, strong woman, and you would never expect somebody to hit her,” yet another source stated.
The report has raised questions regarding Emhoff’s reputation, coinciding with recent praise for his role in reshaping masculinity.
“This is a horrifying story,” The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway wrote. “I will say that it matches with something I recently learned from two California individuals who know Emhoff fairly well and said his reputation for poor treatment of women was notorious in their circles.”
The Harris campaign has not publicly commented on the allegations.