Kamala Harris’ media blitz roiled by new allegations against husband Doug Emhoff

A media blitz by US Vice President Kamala Harris has been overshadowed by new allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ against husband Doug Emhoff.

Kamala Harris’ media blitz to jump-start her floundering campaign was overshadowed by new allegations against her husband Doug Emhoff of “inappropriate” behaviour.

The Second Gentleman, who has denied claims he struck an ex-girlfriend and caused the miscarriage of a nanny he had an affair with, is now facing allegations of creating a “misogynistic” work environment.

Lawyers who worked at the firm, Venable, claim Mr Emhoff – while married to Ms Harris – hired an unqualified model as a trophy secretary because she was “young, attractive and friendly with powerful men in the office”.

He also reportedly yelled, held men-only cocktail hours, took only pretty young staff to glamorous events, and revoked perks from women who didn’t flirt with him.

The bombshell allegations, made in The Daily Mail, came as Ms Harris backed up her 60 Minutes interview with appearances on The View, Howard Stern, and The Colbert Show as part of her campaign’s efforts to combat falling polls in key battleground states.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris. Mr Emhoff is facing several allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Picture: AFP

They’re the latest in a series of negative stories targeting Mr Emhoff, who has been celebrated as a “wife guy” and spokesperson against toxic masculinity.

While Mr Emhoff, through a spokesperson, denied previous allegations he struck an ex-girlfriend, he has admitted to having an affair with a nanny.

He has not commented on the most recent claims made by former colleagues from Venable Los Angeles, which Mr Emhoff headed up between 2006 to 2017.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, one former staffer said Mr Emhoff “bragged” about yelling “get the f*** out of my office” to a female partner.

“What’s worse was he bragged about it to the management at Venable and they were aghast. He’s an a**hole. He told them how he ‘put her in her place’. A misogynist, that’s who does that,” the ex-colleague said.

A woman who worked under Mr Emhoff said that he favoured “young, pretty girls” in a way that wasn’t “appropriate for the position he was in”.

The bombshell claims came as Ms Harris went on a media blitz as the race against Donald Trump entered the home stretch. Picture: Supplied

“If there was an event, like the Justice Ball, he would favour certain people. Usually it was young, pretty girls. And he would prefer for them to ride with him. He would get a limo,” she said.

Another ex-staffer said it was well known that Mr Emhoff was “very flirty” and that “if you weren’t flirty back or didn’t respond positively then you were on his s**t list”.

“There were deadlines that, if you were one of his favourite people, wouldn’t apply. But if you weren’t, they would,” she said.

Another former colleague added that Mr Emhoff excluded women from men-only drinking nights in the office.

“He had, for many years cocktail parties where only men were invited. In the office, on Friday evening,” she said. “When my colleague brought that to the attention of Venable [around 2010], that stopped.”

A former legal secretary sued Venable alleging sexual discrimination in 2019, two years after Mr Emhoff had left the firm.

Mr Emhoff was not a defendant in the suit, but was referenced in the legal complaint as being known for having a glamorous, 20-something secretary who was “unqualified” for the role, according to the legal complaint.

The name of Mr Emhoff’s legal secretary, “Katya”, became a euphemism in the office for “trophy secretary”, according to the court filing by ex-Venable legal secretary Marjan Rabbi.

Katya Calderone worked at Venable from 2014 to 2017 after obtaining a paralegal certificate from UCLA and working in several other legal roles, according to her LinkedIn page.

She also worked as a part-time model for fashion brands like Manco, according to The Daily Mail’s report.

HARRIS REVEALS CHOICE OF GUN

Kamala Harris has revealed she owns a Glock pistol that she has fired at shooting ranges.

In her latest effort to appeal to conservative voters ahead of November’s election, the Vice President spoke about her gun during a prime-time appearance on 60 Minutes, a pre-election tradition that Donald Trump abandoned by backing out of the interview.

Last month, the Democratic candidate controversially told talk show legend Oprah Winfrey: “If someone breaks in my house, they’re getting shot.”

Asked about that comment, she said she had owned a Glock “for quite some time”.

Kamala Harris during her 60 Minutes interview. Picture: Supplied

When questioned over whether she had used it, the Democratic nominee laughed and added: “Of course I have. Yes, at a shooting range – of course I have.”

“My background is in law enforcement, so there you go,” Ms Harris added, referring to her background as a prosecutor in California.

The handgun is designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b. H and entered the Austrian military and police service by 1982 after becoming the top performer in reliability and safety tests. In the US, police almost exclusively carry Glock handguns and they can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons using a small device.

Her running mate Tim Walz also appeared on 60 Minutes and admitted that Ms Harris had told him to “be a little more careful on how you say things”, amid widespread criticism for exaggerating his military record and misstating details about his travels to China.

“I will own up to being a knucklehead at times,” the Minnesota Governor said.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has opened up about her gun ownership. Picture: AFP

But he argued that voters “know the difference between someone expressing emotion, telling a story, getting a date wrong, rather than a pathological liar like Donald Trump”.

Ms Harris was also grilled over the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and resist an incursion in Lebanon.

Asked if he was a close ally, she sidestepped and said that “the better question is do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people”.

“And the answer to that question is yes,” Ms Harris said.

Kamala Harris with her running mate, Governor Tim Walz. Picture: AFP

She also hedged on whether she would welcome Ukraine as a member of NATO, despite President Joe Biden and America’s treaty partners affirming Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to joining the alliance.

Ms Harris’s interview is part of a long-awaited media blitz this week, which also includes appearances on comedian Stephen Colbert’s late-night TV program, radio shock Howard Stern’s show, morning TV program The View, and popular podcast Call Her Daddy.

Mr Trump had agreed to participate in the 60 Minutes episode, with his spokesman Steven Cheung telling the program in a text message: “The president said yes.”

When the former president backed out, Mr Cheung claimed “nothing was ever scheduled or locked in” and that “they also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented”.

Ms Harris told viewers to watch one of Mr Trump’s rallies instead, saying they would “hear conversations that are about himself and all of his personal grievances”.

Originally published as Kamala Harris’ media blitz roiled by new allegations against husband Doug Emhoff