Douglas Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, has publicly acknowledged having an extramarital affair during his first marriage, following a tabloid report that brought the matter into the spotlight.

In a statement given exclusively to CNN, Emhoff addressed the issue directly. “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” he said.

The admission comes in the wake of a report by the British tabloid, The Daily Mail, which claimed that Emhoff had an affair with a teacher at a school his children attended. According to the tabloid, the affair led to the end of Emhoff’s first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff. The report further alleged that the teacher became pregnant but chose not to keep the child.

At the time of the affair, Emhoff was married to Kerstin, with whom he shares two children, Cole and Ella. Emhoff and Kamala Harris married in 2014, marking Harris’s first marriage and Emhoff’s second. The couple met on a blind date arranged by friends and reportedly felt an immediate connection.

Kamala Harris was aware of Emhoff’s past affair before their marriage. The Biden campaign, which conducted Harris’s vetting process during the 2020 presidential election, was also informed about the affair, according to CBS News.

As Harris positions herself to potentially become the first female President of the United States, she faces the challenge of rapidly organizing a campaign against a well-established opponent who has been in near-permanent reelection mode since his presidency began in 2016.

Sources By Agencies