Katie Porter denies dumping potatoes on ex-husband in renewed domestic abuse scrutiny

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) has denied allegations of domestic abuse made against her by her ex-husband. It was alleged that she dumped hot potatoes on his head, but the congresswoman denied this claim.

Her ex-husband, Matt Hoffman, claimed that Porter hit him hard enough to cause a large bruise on his arm and called him “too dumb” to own a cellphone. These allegations were documented in their divorce filings from August 2013. Porter also filed abuse charges against Hoffman, who was arrested after a confrontation.

Porter’s spokesperson, Lindsay Reilly, said that Hoffman’s allegations were a common defensive tactic to intimidate a victim, and that he had later admitted to regretting making these allegations.

Porter, who recently announced a bid for Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) Senate seat in 2024, has faced renewed scrutiny following claims from former employees that she runs a toxic work environment. A Navy veteran who worked for Porter claimed that she dismissed sexual harassment allegations made by another staffer and made inappropriate jokes about race. Sasha Georgiades, who worked for Porter for two years as a Wounded Warrior fellow, alleged that Porter demoted her for exposing her to COVID-19. A spokesperson for Porter denied that the exposure was the reason for the demotion.

Porter faces two other House Democrats, Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), in the race for Feinstein’s seat. Feinstein announced in February that she would not be running for reelection.