Cops called to Kamala Harris’ $8M home after intruder spotted
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Police were called to Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's $8 million Malibu home late on Friday night after a woman reportedly reached the couple's front door, left when asked, then returned shortly afterwards and prompted a further call to the Los Angeles Police Department. Harris's spokesperson said security personnel stopped the woman before she reached the house, although the Los Angeles Times reported she had in fact made it to the door; either way, the episode has renewed scrutiny of the former vice president's security arrangements since Donald Trump revoked her Secret Service protection early, in August 2025.
The woman is said to have arrived by Uber and approached security at the property, leaving voluntarily before coming back, at which point deputies were called at around 10.30pm and she again complied and departed without arrest or citation. Neither Harris nor Emhoff were home at the time, and her identity and motive remain unknown. The couple bought the Malibu house in January for $8.15 million, and local sheriff's officials said patrols of the property would be stepped up; it is unclear whether California Highway Patrol or private guards are now responsible for security, and the incident follows an earlier scare in January 2025 when two men were arrested near the couple's Brentwood home during wildfire curfew hours, though no evidence of a crime was found.
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In short
- Woman reached Harris and Emhoff's Malibu home before leaving and returning
- Police called twice; she left again without arrest or citation
- Incident renews scrutiny of Harris's security since Trump ended her Secret Service detail
How this story developed
- 1 month ago Police were called to Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's $8 million Malibu home late on Friday night after a woman reportedly reached the couple's front door before being persuaded to leave, only to return shortly afterwards and prompt a further call to the LAPD.
- 2 months ago Police were called to Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's $8 million Malibu home late on Friday night after a woman reportedly reached the couple's front door, left when asked, then returned shortly afterwards and prompted a further call to the Los Angeles Police Department.
- 2 months ago Police were called to Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's $8 million Malibu home on Friday night after security staff reported a woman had attempted to gain access to the property.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those who see nothing untoward in the current arrangement argue that Secret Service protection for former vice presidents was never meant to be indefinite, and that transitioning high-profile figures to state, local or privately funded security after a reasonable interval is a longstanding and defensible practice rather than a special punishment. They point out that the system worked as intended on Friday night: security and then local deputies responded promptly, the woman left without incident, and no one was harmed, suggesting the property is adequately protected even without federal agents present. On this view, wealthy former officials with an $8 million home are also well placed to supplement any gap with private security, and taxpayers should not be expected to fund lifetime federal details for every past officeholder.
The case against
Critics of the early withdrawal argue that a former vice president remains a uniquely visible and potentially targeted individual, and that ending federally coordinated protection ahead of the customary schedule increases genuine risk regardless of how any single incident resolves. They note the timing, coming from a successor with a fraught personal history with Harris, invites a reasonable inference of political motive rather than neutral policy, which undermines public confidence that security decisions for former leaders are made on security grounds alone. From this perspective, the fact that deputies were twice called to the property within hours, following an earlier scare at another Harris-Emhoff home, illustrates precisely the kind of recurring vulnerability that consistent, specialised federal protection exists to manage, and that ad hoc local or private arrangements are a poorer substitute.
Explained simply
Kamala Harris served as vice-president of the United States under Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025, having previously been a US senator and California's attorney general. She ran for president in 2024 but lost to Donald Trump, after which she left public office and returned to private life with her husband, the lawyer Doug Emhoff, at their family home in Malibu, California.
Former presidents and vice-presidents are normally entitled to Secret Service protection for a set period after leaving office, funded by the federal government. In August 2025, Trump ended Harris's protection ahead of the standard schedule, a decision that drew attention given the two had been political rivals and that such protection is usually treated as a routine, non-partisan courtesy extended to former officeholders.
That change is relevant background to any report involving security concerns at Harris's home, since it affects who is responsible for guarding the property and how such incidents are handled, whether by private security, local police, or a combination of both.
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