Former Rep. Katie Hill is out of Congress after resigning amid a sex scandal involving a former campaign aide and her estranged husband, but the California Democrat shows no signs she is leaving public life.
Hill, 32, quit the House Nov. 3 — ten months into her first term representing a northern Los Angeles County district — following a scandal that also included the leaking of nude photos of her. Less than two weeks into private life, she’s emerged as a vocal voice on public affairs, whether chastising former Republican colleagues or commenting on the politics of a shooting at her former high school that left two people dead.
Through a series of tweets Wednesday, during an impeachment hearing, Hill trolled House Republicans, including top House Intelligence Committee GOP member Devin Nunes, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona. Earlier in the day on Twitter, Gosar raised questions about circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire and convicted sex offender arrested for sex trafficking.
After Hill’s tweet critical of Gosar, he responded in kind by raising some of the more sordid details of the scandal that led to her departure from Congress.
You’re surprised by me? You single handedly taught an entire country a new word. #throuple And wth is up with that tattoo? Relax. https://t.co/76KHxqudiV
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) November 14, 2019
And on Wednesday, Hill tweeted a warning to Democrats running for her former congressional seat about her support for Assemblywoman Christy Smith.
A local gal flipped a decades-long Rep seat to win by 9 pts. A local gal is the only one who can keep it blue and the only one the community deserves. I called @ChristyforCA25 before I resigned to make sure she would run. Boys, please be gentlemen and step aside. She’s got this. https://t.co/0HGzQY58Zr
— Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) November 13, 2019
Hill’s Twitter activity turned serious Thursday when she chimed in and called into CNN to comment on the deadly shooting at her former high school in Santa Clarita, California.
Hill’s active social media commentary, despite a recent political downfall, shows she is ready to jump back into the political ring, said Marc Silverstein, CEO of On The Marc Media. He told the Washington Examiner she could make a comeback if she times her reemergence appropriately.
“Americans have short memories and are much more forgiving, so it’ll take a lot more than an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer or a three-way with her former husband to keep her from a comeback —eventually,” Silverstein said. “But like former DNC chair Donna Brazile, who was fired at CNN after leaking debate questions to the Clinton campaign, or former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, caught with a prostitute, Hill should stay out of the limelight before staging her comeback.”
Silverstein said Hill could become a cable news contributor but should take some time away from the public eye.
“Katie Hill has the intelligence, name recognition and look to become a cable news contributor,” he said. “But if I were advising her, I’d tell her to disappear for a while: earn a living, enjoy some free time, learn a new hobby. Take a little time for herself. Whatever you think of her scandal, she’s been through a lot. She needs time to recover.”
A reemergence from there could come gradually, Silverstein said.
“She should wait for her moment,” he said. “Be available to comment when news breaks about another scandal involving a member of Congress. Write an op-ed about what she got right and wrong about her resignation. Even better, write or talk about the actual issues that got her elected. Become a thought leader. Get a good PR firm to help her place informational contributor pieces for newspapers/blogs/Medium, make speeches, get booked on podcasts, go on Bill Maher.”
Silverstein cautions, however, that Hill should avoid fights with House Republicans, advising that it just brings backs the scandal she wants to move on from.
“Getting into Twitter skirmishes with former colleagues is a losing tactic. She’s still fighting yesterday’s war. All she’s doing is reminding people of the scandal, repeatedly. Having the word ‘throuple’ in the lead line in her obituary shouldn’t be her goal,” Silverstein said. “She should also bust on the Democrats. They’re the ones who forced her to quit.”
