Former Rep. Katie Hill, who resigned from her post amid a sex scandal, now says her ordeal was “politically survivable” in light of the controversies surrounding two other high-profile politicians who refuse to step down from office.
The California Democrat said she felt “relief” that she could stop the “barrage” of accusations by resigning, but she now questions whether the attacks on her were gendered in nature given the political survival of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
“Having seen other people who’ve had scandals since I left, Cuomo and, you know, of course, Matt Gaetz … you see that, and, of course, they don’t resign,” she told Axios on HBO. “You really wonder how much of it was the pressure I put on myself because I was a woman and because I’d been an advocate for the #MeToo movement and how much of it was sexism and how much of it was, you know, the public shaming aspect of it, the revenge porn aspect of it.”
FORMER REP. KATIE HILL ORDERED TO PAY $200,000 IN REVENGE PORNOGRAPHY CASE
Hill said “in hindsight,” her scandal was “politically survivable.”
Hill was elected to represent California’s 25th Congressional District in 2018. In 2019, the Daily Mail published photos in which the congresswoman, who is openly bisexual, was seen naked, holding a bong, and brushing another woman’s hair. The Daily Mail story followed conservative website Red State publishing a story that said Hill had an affair with a male congressional staffer and that she and her now ex-husband, Kenneth Heslep, had a previous relationship with a female campaign worker.
Hill, now 33, denied the first allegation but admitted to the second and acknowledged the relationship was inappropriate given she was a subordinate.
In October 2019, Hill announced that she would be resigning from Congress after news stories revealing her relationship with a young female campaign staffer and a House Ethics Committee investigation.
“It is with a broken heart today that I announce my resignation from Congress. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do,” she wrote in a statement before accusing her “abusive husband” of “driving a smear campaign” against her and apologizing to her constituents.
The former congresswoman sued the Daily Mail, accusing the news outlet of violating California’s revenge pornography law by publishing the photos without her consent, but a judge removed the news outlet as a defendant from the lawsuit, citing the First Amendment. The judge then ordered Hill to pay approximately $220,000 to cover the Daily Mail’s attorneys’ fees, which Hill said proved the justice system is “broken for victims.”
Unlike Hill, Cuomo has been accused of having nonconsensual sexual encounters with several women. At least 10 women have accused the New York governor of sexual misconduct, and the governor has denied all charges of inappropriate touching, though he has apologized for making any women feel uncomfortable.
The allegations have resulted in two investigations by New York elected officials. Attorney General Letitia James is looking into the women’s allegations, and New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie authorized an “impeachment investigation” in the state Legislature. Cuomo has shown some level of support for both inquiries, with his office signing the referral for James’s investigation and authorizing funds for Heastie’s impeachment investigation.
Since March, federal prosecutors have been investigating whether Gaetz and his former associate Joel Greenberg paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex. Greenberg pleaded guilty to federal charges, including the sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy to bribe a public official, and agreed to cooperate with federal investigators. Greenberg’s plea makes no mention of Gaetz.
Gaetz has denied any criminal wrongdoing. Following the report of the investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with an underage woman, the Florida Republican claimed it was an intentional ploy to thwart a separate investigation from the FBI against him.
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Despite mounting pressure to resign, both Cuomo and Gaetz have said they won’t step down, arguing the charges against them are false. Both are eligible for reelection in 2022.
Hill’s district is currently represented by Rep. Mike Garcia, a Republican who won the special election to replace Hill in 2020.
