This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 23, 2019, the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating allegations that Representative Katie Hill of California had a sexual relationship with a member of her congressional staff, violating House rules.
Representative Hill, a 32-year-old Democrat and rising star in the party, denied the allegations in a letter to her constituents, stating she was 'fully and proactively' cooperating with the Ethics Committee.
However, in the same letter, Hill admitted to a separate relationship with a member of her campaign team, acknowledging that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate.
Members of Congress are barred from engaging in sexual relationships with their staff members, but the rules do not cover campaign aides.
The allegations stemmed from a report published on the conservative news site RedState, which alleged Hill had been intimately involved with her legislative director and was in a three-way sexual relationship with her husband and a young campaign aide.
A nude photograph of Hill and another woman was published and circulated online by conservative critics, who called for Hill's resignation. The image was published without Hill's consent, and she referred the matter to law enforcement authorities.
Supporters of Hill said she was a victim of 'revenge porn,' which is illegal under California law.
Representative Hill, the first openly bisexual congresswoman from California, unseated a Republican in 2018 and was named vice chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
