After Admitting To An 'Inappropriate' Relationship, Rep. Katie Hill Resigns
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | October 28, 2019
California Representative Katie Hill, a Democrat, on Sunday resigned from Congress.
Hill is the only out bisexual House member.
In a letter posted on Twitter, Hill, 32, wrote: “It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I believe it is the best thing for my constituents, my community, and our country.”
Politico reported that Hill could “step aside as soon as Nov. 1.”
Last week, the House Ethics Committee announced that it had opened an investigation into whether Hill had a relationship against House rules with her legislative staffer, Graham Kelly. Hill has denied the allegation.
Earlier this month, conservative outlet RedState reported that Hill was in a “throuple” during the 2018 election with her husband and a female campaign staffer. Hill is currently divorcing her husband. Last week, Hill admitted to having an “inappropriate” relationship with the campaign staffer.
In her resignation letter, Hill blamed her “abusive husband” whom she's divorcing for providing texts and a nude photo as proof of the two relationships to RedState.
“This is what needs to happen so that 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,” Hill wrote. “Having private photos of personal moments weaponized against me has been an appalling invasion of my privacy. It’s also illegal, and we are currently pursuing all of our available legal options.”
The House Ethics Committee is only investigating Hill's alleged relationship with Kelly. Hill's relationship with the campaign staffer happened before Hill took office and is beyond the committee's reach.
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Hill came to Congress “with a powerful commitment to her community and a bright vision for the future.”
“She has acknowledged errors in judgment that made her continued service as a member untenable,” Pelosi added.