### Doug Emhoff Denies Allegation of Abuse from Decade-Old Incident

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has refuted a recent claim that he struck a former girlfriend over ten years ago after suspecting her of flirting. A spokesperson for Emhoff stated to Semafor that the accusation is "untrue" and categorically dismissed any suggestion that Emhoff has ever hit a woman.

The controversy emerged following a report by The Daily Mail, which cited three friends of the unnamed woman. These sources allege that Emhoff slapped his then-girlfriend so forcefully that she was "spun around" during an altercation after an event at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in France. One friend recounted a distressed phone call from the woman, who was reportedly "sobbing" and recounting the incident in which "a guy" had hit her.

The friend noted the difficulty in understanding her over the phone due to her emotional state, but it was "very clear what she was telling me." During this call, the woman reportedly mentioned that she had been at Cannes with her date when the incident occurred, but further attempts to contact her went unanswered.

The incident allegedly took place after an evening of drinking, when Emhoff's girlfriend put her hand on the shoulder of a valet employee, which may have been interpreted by Emhoff as flirting. In response to being hit, the woman reportedly slapped Emhoff back, according to the friend's account. The woman has been described as a "successful New York attorney" by The Daily Mail.

The friends of the woman provided the publication with photos and other materials to support their story. Emhoff began his relationship with Kamala Harris in 2013, and the couple married in 2014, one year after the alleged incident.