Report: Democrat Katie Hill to Resign amid Allegations of Improper Relationship with Staffers

Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) will resign from Congress after reports suggested that she had inappropriate relationships with staffers in her congressional office and campaign, according to a report on Sunday.

Politico reported Sunday that Rep. Hill, an openly bisexual member of Congress, will resign from Congress by the end of the week, according to two Democrat sources.

The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Hill’s reportedly improper sexual relationship with a male congressional staffer, a claim she has denied.

The House adopted new ethics rules this year banning romantic relationships between lawmakers and their staffers, in response to the #metoo movement.

Hill, however, admitted and then apologized for an “inappropriate” relationship with a female campaign staffer on Wednesday.

In a letter to her constituents Wednesday, Hill said that she hopes that people will respect the staffer’s privacy, saying:

I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment. For that I apologize. I wish nothing but the best for her and hope everyone respects her privacy in this difficult time.

The Daily Mail published photos of what appears to be a fully nude Hill with a bong in her hand, and another picture that shows the California Democrat kissing a staff worker on her congressional campaign. The staffer, who was reportedly in a “throuple” relationship with Hill and Hill’s husband, Kenny Heslep, was identified by the Daily Mail as Morgan Desjardings of Santa Clarita, California.

The California representative and Heslep divorced earlier this year. Hill claimed that it was an “abusive marriage.”

“I am going through a divorce from an abusive husband who seems determined to try to humiliate me,” Hill said in the statement. “I am disgusted that my opponents would seek to exploit such a private matter for political gain.”

She added, “This coordinated effort to try to destroy me and the people close to me is despicable and will not succeed. I, like many women who have faced attacks like this before, am stronger than those who want me to be afraid.”