Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) on Monday released a video statement about her resignation from Congress. She made the resignation announcement Sunday night after the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Hill. She was allegedly having an affair with her Legislative Director, Graham Kelly, and a throuple relationship with a female campaign staffer.
Photos surfaced online of a naked HIll smoking a bong and spending time with another woman in a hotel room. According to the freshman Congresswoman, her "abusive ex-husband" and the "right-wing media" are responsible for the attacks on her.
"I made this decision [to resign] 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 coordinated campaign carried out by the right-wing media and Republican opponents," Hill said in her video. "Enabling and perpetuating my husband’s abuse by providing him a platform is disgusting and unforgivable, and they will be held accountable."
The entire video focuses on everyone's attacks on her, but she fails to mention she broke House Rule XXIII, clause 18(a), which clearly states a member of Congress cannot engage in a sexual relationship with an employee:
18. (a) A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House who works under the supervision of the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, or who is an employee of a committee on which the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner serves. This paragraph does not apply with respect to any relationship between two people who are married to each other.
And, to make things even more ironic, Hill supported the very bill that made her actions an ethics violation.
But here's the real kicker: she wants to inspire other people to launch so-called "grassroots" campaigns yet she took big PAC money.
To my supporters in our district and across our great country, please know that we did something incredible. We proved that an imperfect woman and the 31-year-old daughter of a nurse and a police officer, who never planned to run for office, has a place in the people’s house. We showed the nation that there is hope even in the darkest of moments, that every single person deserves a chance and a voice that voters will believe, and we’ll rise to make that happen.
We showed Washington that a grassroots campaign can propel a young woman into Congress without the help of big corporations and special interests that have for so long governed politics; and that this movement will change our broken political system forever. That matters and it will always matter.
A quick search of FEC filings shows Hill took big money from:
• American Hospital Association PAC
• American Postal Workers Union Committee on Political Action
• National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC
• New Democrat Coalition PAC
• Writers Guild of America, Inc. PAC
• Sierra Club Political Committee
• NARAL Pro-Choice PAC
• League of Conservation Voters Action Fund
• Committee for a Democratic Future
• Laborers' International Union of North America (LUNA) PAC
• Congressional Black Caucus PAC
• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)
• MoveOn.org Political Action
• Human Rights Campaign PAC
• Brady PAC
• DNC PAC
• Emily's List
• Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
These are just a few of the PACs and big money that supported her during the last election cycle. Sounds real grassroots-y, right?
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