This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On November 1, 2019, Representative Katie Hill delivered a farewell speech on Capitol Hill, denouncing 'gutter politics' and attributing her resignation to a double standard toward women.
Ms. Hill, who represented a suburban Los Angeles district, resigned due to a harassment campaign that included the online publication of nude photos taken of her without her consent.
She blamed the release of the pictures on Republican operatives and her husband, Kenny Heslep, whom she is divorcing. The pictures were published by the conservative website RedState and The Daily Mail, and articles from both outlets were widely shared on social media.
Ms. Hill, a rising star in the Democratic Party and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said she had faced a barrage of threatening messages and was leaving Congress because of a misogynistic culture that capitalized on her sexuality.
She also cited a double standard, stating that she was leaving because she no longer wanted to be used as a bargaining chip and because she was tired of being peddled by shameless operatives for the dirtiest gutter politics.
Ms. Hill's resignation makes her the first representative to be investigated under a rule passed last year amid the #MeToo movement that prohibited members of Congress from having sexual relationships with their staff members.
Before her speech, Ms. Pelosi called her 'an absolutely outstanding young public servant,' but said she respected her decision to resign.
Ms. Hill defeated a Republican incumbent, Steve Knight, in November 2018, and her final act as a member of Congress was voting in favor of the president's impeachment.
