Second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s team has responded to a truly disturbing report that came out earlier this week.
And the response is about what one would expect just 31 days before what will likely be a hotly contested presidential election.
To wit, Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris — the topper of the Democratic presidential ticket — were hit with a “horrifying” October surprise on Wednesday, when the U.K.’s Daily Mail published a damning report about the second gentleman.
That report, citing three people close with the situation who had supplied corroborating photos and transcripts, claimed that Emhoff had “forcefully” struck a woman he was romantically involved with in 2012 while attending the Cannes Film Festival in France.
While attempting to leave, Emhoff’s date, identified only as “Jane” (a pseudonym), tried to skip the line to flag a taxi amid a bustling exit.
“[Jane] went up to one of the valet guys, offered him 100 Euros or whatever, to get to the head of the line,” one source told the British outlet. “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.”
“He hauled up and slapped her so hard she spun around,” another source described.
Is the establishment media covering up this story?
Perhaps more alarmingly, the report also claimed that Emhoff showed zero remorse about the entire ordeal.
Just days later, Emhoff’s campaign has responded by completely denying the report.
An Emhoff representative told Semafor that the “report is untrue.”
Additionally, the representative noted that “any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false.”
Semafor’s Max Tani noted, “This is a new campaign front: Emhoff has been a key Harris’ advocate, cast as a relatable, enlightened ‘wife guy’ and father who ‘discussed the feminism of Pearl Jam.’”
The Daily Mail report directly contradicted that “wife guy” reputation — which has always been something of a dubious distinction to begin with, given that Emhoff has previously admitted to impregnating a nanny out of wedlock.
Perhaps more alarmingly, the Daily Mail report gave way to further allegations that Emhoff actually has something of a “notorious” reputation when it comes to the way he deals with women.
This is a horrifying story. 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. https://t.co/0UBAcs6j6d
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 2, 2024
“This is a horrifying story,” Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, posted to X shortly after the report came out. “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.”
It’s also worth noting that the establishment media has been raked over the coals for seemingly ignoring this massive story that could potentially undermine a political party’s carefully manicured image.
Megyn Kelly, as noted by the New York Post, has been one such vocal critic of that fact.
“If this were a Republican, it would be leading every news channel,” Kelly said on her show shortly after this report broke.
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