Who is Emhoff, a potential candidate for Kamala’s ‘First Gentleman’?… A Jewish lawyer of similar age

Divorced fathers of two children, Doug Emhoff meets Kamala, the Attorney General of the United States, and marries her after a year
Left the prestigious law firm, works as a ‘second gentleman’ for anti-Semitism and legal services,

[AP/Newsis] Doug Emhoff, husband of Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States. He visited Poland and Germany from January 26 to 31 last year, and on the 28th he gave an opening speech at a local symposium on anti-Semitism in commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.” ,

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‘[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Goo Ja-ryong = As Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, launches as a Democratic presidential candidate, attention is also focused on Douglas Craig Emhoff (59), who could transition from being the ‘second gentleman’ (husband of the female Vice President) to the ‘first gentleman’ (husband of the female President).’,

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‘He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1964 and grew up in Matawan, New Jersey. In his teens, he moved with his family to California and attended college and law school in LA.’,

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‘He rose through the ranks at major law firms including Venable and DLA Piper to earn a salary of $1.2 million as a partner lawyer. He left the law firm in 2020 after his wife became Vice President to avoid conflicts of interest.’,

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‘He has publicly talked about the joy and challenges of playing a supportive role in marriage as a husband of the Vice President.’,

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‘Through his marriage, Emhoff also mentioned achieving a bigger purpose of gender equality.’,

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‘In an interview with a Korean newspaper in 2022, he said, “Empowering women to take on important roles is a very masculine thing.”‘,

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“He said, “It’s not taking away opportunities from men” and added, “I want to say that Harris encourages me and helps me perform my duties. We help each other.”,

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‘Harris also joked about how charming Emhoff looked with “onion goggles” in the kitchen.’,

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‘For the past 3 and a half years, Emhoff has lived with a dual identity as the first Jewish spouse of the Vice President and a 30-year career entertainment lawyer.’,

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‘The New York Times (NYT) introduced Emhoff as someone who has been actively fighting against anti-Semitism and expanding accessibility to legal support.’,

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‘Like Jill Biden, Emhoff also worked while his wife served in the administration. He worked as a visiting professor in Washington and taught law at Georgetown University.’,

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‘He took on various responsibilities such as overseeing the Vice-Presidential residence and managing the staff as part of his official duties.’,

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‘He has an office in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building to the White House.’,

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‘Emhoff, as a lawyer, uses his legal expertise and experience in pro bono work to guide administrative policies for expanding legal support and to coordinate between the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and legal aid organizations.’,

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‘Even before the Gaza war erupted last year, Emhoff used his role as the first Jewish spouse of the Vice President to lead initiatives in the White House by gathering Jewish leaders to oppose anti-Semitism.’,

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‘Emhoff attacked individuals who promoted former President Donald Trump’s anti-Semitic views with the cooperation of Congress.’,

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‘After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, he rallied support for the American Jewish community.’,

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‘As criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the Biden administration became more prominent, his stance also became more pronounced.’,

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‘While civilian casualties increased in Gaza, he publicly criticized Israel’s military operations.’,

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‘Harris and Emhoff met in 2013 through Kristen Hurdlin, a close friend when Harris was serving as the Attorney General of California.’,

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‘Emhoff has continued to build his entertainment litigation practice, representing studios and streamers in all areas ranging from copyright disputes to contracts and antitrust issues.’,

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‘She was a single woman in her 40s at the height of her legal career as the Attorney General and he was a divorced father with two children.’,

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‘Between his first wife, Kerstin, they had two children, John Coltrain and Ella Fitzgerald.’,

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‘Harris wrote that from the first phone call with Emhoff, they “laughed, joked, and became close.”‘,

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‘He sent her an email the morning after their first date, explaining possible dates for the next few months.’,

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‘Harris said she did not want to rush into her boyfriend’s children’s lives too quickly as a child of divorced parents. She waited a few months to meet John and Ella, who were high school and middle school students at the time.’,

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‘He swapped his trademark suits for jeans and prepared for the nervousness of the first meeting with the children. He felt relieved when John and Ella ultimately embraced her as ‘Momala’.’,

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‘She also formed a friendship with the children’s birth mother and described her as an amazing mother.’,

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‘Emhoff expressed gratitude that Harris provided a lot of help in raising the two children.’,

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‘Emhoff proposed one day in 2014 while discussing what type of Thai food to order. The two were married at the end of 2014 in a ceremony officiated by Harris’s sister Maya at the Santa Barbara courthouse.’,

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