Katie Hill Resigns Amid Allegations, 'Revenge Porn'

Democrat says she's stepping down 'with a broken heart'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2019 2:59 AM CDT
Rep. Katie Hill Resigns 'With a Broken Heart'
In this April 3, 2019, photo, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., talks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hill says she’s asked for an investigation into intimate photos she says were posted online without her consent.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Rep. Katie Hill announced her resignation from Congress on Sunday—"with a broken heart." "This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do," the freshman Democrat said in a letter to her constituents in California. The resignation came after allegations that she had an inappropriate relationship with a congressional aide and the release of nude photos to a conservative website, both of which Hill blamed on her estranged husband, the BBC reports. "This is what needs to happen so that the good people who supported me will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives who seem to happily provide a platform to a monster who is driving a smear campaign built around cyber exploitation," she said.

Hill, who has threatened legal action over the release of "revenge porn," admitted having a relationship with a female campaign staffer, but strongly denied having a relationship with Graham Kelly, her legislative director, which would have been a violation of House rules. Hill "has acknowledged errors in judgment that made her continued service as a member untenable," Nancy Pelosi said. "We must ensure a climate of integrity and dignity in the Congress, and in all workplaces." Last week, Hill was defended by colleagues including Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, Politico reports. "The only person who seems to have a gripe," he tweeted, is Hill's "soon-to-be ex." He added: "Who among us would look perfect if every ex leaked every photo/text?" (More Katie Hill stories.)

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