WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, admitted having an extramarital affair during his first marriage, CBS News reported.
He had a relationship with a teacher at his children’s school several years before he met and married US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Emhoff’s acknowledgment comes after a report emerged that the teacher became pregnant in 2009. She, however, did not have a baby, the report said.
According to two sources, both of whom were close to the woman at the time of her relationship with Emhoff, the woman’s pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, CBS News reported.
According to two sources, along with a third source familiar with the relationship, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, Emhoff at the time was married to his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff. However, the couple separated when the affair happened.
Sources said the woman taught at Emhoff’s children’s school. However, she was not teaching Emhoff’s children at the time of her relationship with him, according to sources.
In a statement provided to CBS News, Emhoff said, “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions.” He said, “I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.” Before becoming the US’ second gentleman, Emhoff worked as an entertainment lawyer. He shares two adult children, Ella and Cole, with his first wife.
In her statement on Saturday, Kerstin said, “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago. 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.”
According to court records, Kerstin Emhoff filed for divorce in 2009 and it seems to have been finalised in late 2010, CBS News reported.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Harris was aware of the affair before her marriage to Emhoff. Those in the Biden campaign who conducted the Vice President’s vetting process in 2020 also knew about it, CBS News reported.
Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff met in 2013 and got married in 2014; the couple does not have children together. Emhoff’s adult children call Harris “Mamala,” and their close relationship has been widely reported. Kamala Harris even presided over Cole Emhoff’s marriage in 2023.