House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised embattled Rep. Katie Hill as “an outstanding young public servant” moments before Hill was scheduled to deliver a farewell speech in the House.
Hill announced her resignation after the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that she is involved in a sexual relationship with the legislative director of her congressional office.
Pelosi didn’t address that allegation, which would be a violation of House rules and is the likely reason Hill had to resign.
But Pelosi condemned the publication of lurid photos of Hill’s romantic relationship with a woman who worked on her successful 2018 congressional campaign.
One picture showed an unclothed Hill brushing the female campaign staffer’s hair, and it was accompanied by reporting that Hill, the woman, and Hill’s husband were all involved in a romantic relationship.
“It’s shameful that she’s been exposed to public humiliation and to cyber exploitation,” Pelosi said. “I cautioned everyone that they, too, may be subjected to that.”
Pelosi said she warns her children and grandchildren about online postings.
“Some of these, I don’t know what you would call them, appearances on social media, can come back to haunt you if they are taken out of context,” Pelosi said.
While party leaders in Congress generally force out members facing serious ethics trouble, Pelosi insisted Thursday that Hill’s resignation is “her decision.”
Pelosi called Hill “an absolutely outstanding, young, public servant, very smart, strategic, patriotic, loves our country, respected by her colleagues in the Congress for the work that she does here.”
Hill, 32, won California’s 25th District seat by beating a two-term Republican in a district long held by the GOP.
[Related: Parents of Katie Hill’s husband say his computer was hacked]
