Katie Hill Claims She's a Victim of 'Revenge Porn,' Vows To 'Continue To Fight'
A day after former Democratic California Rep. Rep. Katie Hill resigned under a cloud, she launched her comeback as a champion for women harmed by revenge porn.
Hill posted a video Monday in which she took a combative tone about the intimate photos of herself that were splashed across the internet amid allegations she had an affair with her legislative director, which she denies.
Hill was the target of a House Ethics Committee investigation before her Sunday resignation announcement.
Hill, 32, who is openly bisexual, has admitted to having an affair with campaign aide Morgan Desjardins, 24.
Federal Election Commission data shows that since April, Desjardins has raked in about $14,000 from Hill’s campaign for consulting services, with multiple checks for $2,500 per month.
Prior to that time, Desjardins was paid a salary as a staff member for Hill’s campaign, the records show.
In a short video, Hill called herself “a fighter” and laid out the parameters of her next battlefield — the internet.
“I am going to continue to fight for our democracy, for representation, for justice and equality and making the world a better place,” she said. “And I will also take up a new fight. I will fight to ensure that no one else has to live through what I just experienced.”
Nude pictures of Hill, purportedly showing her with a bong and what appeared to be an Iron Cross tattoo, were posted on sites including the Daily Mail, which defied cease-and-desist orders from Hill to take down the images.
Another photo showed her brushing the hair of the campaign staffer with whom she had an affair.
“Some people call this electronic assault, digital exploitation; others call it revenge porn. As the victim of it, I call it one of the worst things we can do to our sisters and our daughters,” she said in the video.
“I will not allow my experience to scare off other young women or girls from running for office. For the sake of all of us, we cannot let that happen,” she said.
Hill said the outrage, which she claimed was orchestrated by the husband with whom she is going through a divorce, undermined her efforts to serve in Congress, prompting her resignation.
“I’m hurt. I’m angry. The path I saw so clearly for myself is no longer there,” Hill said.
Hill also pointed a finger at conservative media. A conservative website, RedState, was the first to publish allegations about Hill’s private life.
“This coordinated campaign carried out by the right-wing media and Republican opponents, enabling and perpetuating my husband’s abuse by providing him a platform, is disgusting and unforgivable, and they will be held accountable,” she said.
Hill’s counter-attack sparked a buzz on social media:
Some Biblical values and common sense would have saved Katie Hill’s job and reputation. #PutThatInYourPipe #PatHeads pic.twitter.com/8b4ktkYQ1v
— Pat’s 18th facial cream victim (@shoregirlem) October 29, 2019
I hate the term “revenge porn.”
It’s a term created by men, marketed for adult websites.
What happened to Katie Hill was in no shape or form, pornography.
It was malicious, degrading, and criminal.
Stop calling it revenge porn and call it what it is… sexual harassment.
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) October 29, 2019
A sexual relationship with a subordinate staffer getting jobs and bonuses from tax payer dollars is inappropriate and unethical.
— Johnny (@mr_matalino) October 29, 2019
She said she resigned “so that my supporters, my family, my staff and our community will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives.”
Hill talked about the power of what was done to her to ruin an individual’s career.
“I never claimed to be perfect, but I never thought my imperfections would be weaponized and used to try to destroy me and the community I have loved my entire life,” she said. “For that, I am so incredibly sorry.”
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