Rep. Katie Hill to resign amid allegations of inappropriate relationships with staffers

[AKing]

Source: Politico

Freshman Rep. Katie Hill is resigning from Congress after facing allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staffers in her office and on her congressional campaign, according to two Democratic sources.

She’s set to resign by the end of the week.

Story Continued Below
Hill was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of an improper sexual relationship with a male congressional staffer, a claim she denied. Hill admitted to and apologized for an “inappropriate” relationship with a female campaign staffer earlier this week.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/27/rep-katie-hill-to-resign-amid-allegations-of-inappropriate-relationships-with-staffers-000301

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Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! We can kiss this seat goodbye.

[samnsara]

1. too bad she made such a mistake.....she would have had a great future

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Haven't we learned anything from the Al Franken situation?

[Xipe Totec]

5. Not the same

We don't want to protect corrupt politicians just because they wear a D.

Franken did the right thing. He took one for the team.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Franken is not corrupt, and he now realizes that he shouldn't have resigned.

Several senators have told him they regret having urged him to leave. It was a right-wing hit job, nothing less.

[Xipe Totec]

10. Yes, Franken is not corrupt. You got that right

That's why I say he took one for the team.

To avoid even a whiff of impropriety.

To allow the Democrats to take the high ground.

That's not the case with Katie Hill.

She is denying nothing.

As for Senators who urged him to resign, there's at least one who's paying a stiff price for that.

[Grokenstein]

18. And now that everyone understands that waving an ally's bloody scalp

is NOT a sure ticket for one free ride to higher office, maybe the opportunistic buffoons on our side of the aisle can restrain themselves from combing through decades of statements and photos for some stupid thing to blow wildly out of proportion, and focus on the real threats.

[Xipe Totec]

21. +1 nt

[SunSeeker]

50. Katie Hill is not corrupt. And she did deny an affair with a male staffer.

She only admitted to a consensual affair with a campaign aide, not someone on her Congressional staff.

She is going through a bitter divorse eith an abusive husband who is engaging in revenge porn.

[ananda]

25. No comparison.

Franken was completely innocent!

[dhill926]

3. Jesus fucking christ....

a goddamn repub would deny, fight, admit, ask for forgiveness, and all would be fine. HATE this shit....just stay in and weather the goddamn storm...

[Catch2.2]

17. Couldn't agree more!!!

Enough of this cr*p!!! Apologize and move on!

[ritapria]

4. The seat is likely to flip back to the Republicans

[LenaBaby61]

14. The seat is likely to flip back to the Republicans.

Steve Knight, whose a complete ASSHOLE.

[kysrsoze]

29. Yup. This is my district. Stupid move after just winning the seat.

Granted, the revenge porn by the husband was completely shitty, but she had at least one relationship with a staffer in such a short time.

[SunSeeker]

52. It was an affair with a campaign aide, not a member of her congressional staff.

Last edited Sun Oct 27, 2019, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)

There is no ethics violation if it is not a congressional staffer.

[Kurt V.]

6. i wouldn't say stupid. She's a human being with real feelings and emotions,

which decribes every person on the planet. not an inanimate place card for a seat.

[Progressive Jones]

19. You are correct but, she has made stupid mistakes while in a more important position

than any of us will ever find ourselves in.

Who lets a nude picture of them self, while smoking a bong, be taken in the first place?
I get it. We're free to be ourselves, but not 24/7 when we're in a sensitive career.
She has failed her constituents, and the Progressive movement.
All she had to do was be discreet. It's not that hard.

[Kurt V.]

27. she was in an abusive marriage. Society failed her.

[lostnfound]

40. Hard to be retroactively discreet. The photos and relationship with the woman predate the election.

What a pity.

So much going on, hard to tell where all the missteps were.

[LovingA2andMI]

62. She should have SCRUBBED her internet history on Reddit...

This move alone would have saved her from her Husband revenge porn as if he released personal pictures afterwards -- he would have definitely appeared more so to be the POS that he is.. Equally, she should have never, ever put the Young Woman on as a Congressional Staffer. On surface, it appears she made her a staffer to keep her quiet about the liaison and this was not a good look.

Now, she could have fought and denied like Republicans do, but what if there were more pictures, internet postings, etc. The reality is she is also a Woman and its unfair as hell but Woman are treated and looked upon differently in these types of situations then Men. It sucks royalty but its the reality at the same time.

[Progressive Jones]

76. Thank You. nt

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Yes, the very words said about every male philanderer

Sorry, I'm still tired of the other double standard. It's not just the Republicans who escape reckoning.

[Kurt V.]

28. not sure how many male philanderers were in an abusive marriage. smmfh.

[bucolic_frolic]

30. That doesn't excuse it. /nt

Men would never get that sympathy, and the public would laugh if he were an abused male spouse, even though there are forms of psychological abuse - NPD with a sadistic bent for example.

[Ferrets are Cool]

31. Thank you

[JaneQPublic]

8. Spanky Trump has done far worse

We even have heard audio tape of him discussing the hush money.

But no ethics probe for him.

[IronLionZion]

9. Weird. I hope Dems can find a better candidate for that district

[LenaBaby61]

13. I know a few of her constituents, and they are angry at her ...

At least the ones I know who live in the 25th district. The ones who got out and worked hard for her, who donated and knocked on doors and sent out literature/post cards encouraging folks to get out and vote.

thuglican Steve Knight who she beat voted to DESTROY California, because he said that the tax cut for the richest 1% would help our economy. We see that he was wronger than 3 left shoes, because that tax cut for the rich is helping to totally spiral the deficit of control. Friends say he didn't give a damn about anything but those tax cuts for the richest 1%'ers, and about all-things thuglican.

I'm glad she's not my representative, because I'd be madder than hell. We have an a moral, racist, whose assaulted and probably more than 25 women (And perhaps girls), and folks there in the 25th may have to suffer having that right-winged, tRump-loving, for the rich, Knight as their rep AGAIN?

[NotHardly]

11. The President has not resigned, most Republican Congress persons do not resign ... why play any

other rule game-book? Stand and throw cold water on the outrage.

[flibbitygiblets]

15. Thank you!! Can we get a quick survey of Congresspeople who have NOT slept with a staffer?

I know, we go high, blah blah. This was consensual and a non issue.

Can we just *not* fall on our swords for honor every damned time? It's not like we get the slightest bit of credit for it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. Phew! I temporarily mixed her up with Katie Porter.

[cornball 24]

16. Plant?

[Catch2.2]

20. Another hit job

by right wing operatives. First Franken, now this. Republicans must be laughing about how easy it is to get a Dem to resign. I'm tired of Dems rolling over without a fight!

[SunSeeker]

53. Exactly. Could not agree more. Sad to see folks here piling on and bashing her.

She denied having an affair with a congressional staffer. She only admitted to an affair with a campaign aide, which is not an ethics violation.

[Catch2.2]

80. Exactly!

[stopbush]

22. Staffers? As in, plural?

[Owl]

23. Stupid to resign. Dang.

[DesertRat]

24. It was CONSENSUAL

Why do Dems have to resign for consensual sexual relationships?!

[Ferrets are Cool]

32. That was my first and CONTINUING thought

WHY??? It was consensual.

[RhodeIslandOne]

33. Having sex with people who work for you is unethical

If your boss got up in a meeting tomorrow and announced he was banging his secretary, and she said she was happy because she wanted it, how would that go over?

[Ferrets are Cool]

35. Did you want Clinton to resign?

[RhodeIslandOne]

36. He probably should have.

In today’s climate, he would have to.

Meanwhile, Congress has specific rules on this.

[StevieM]

42. He absolutely should not have.

If he had, we would not be a democracy today.

If Ken Starr's operation had been allowed to produce the result that it was established to achieve, the premature end of a Democrat's presidency, it would have been a catastrophe for our country.

[RhodeIslandOne]

43. Al Gore would have become President

And maybe we avoid a guy who really fucked Democracy as Republicans are widely punished for the coup.

Starr’s idiotic and overreaching prosecution doesn’t negate the fact that Clinton’s actions were unethical. But unlike Congress, the executive office does not have the same bylaws.

That being said, Clinton’s actions would not hold up on the Me Too climate. You realize that right?

[StevieM]

45. Al Gore's ascension would have been irrelevant.

And it saddens me to hear a Democrat make that point, since that was the talking point of Henry Hyde back in the day.

The goal was to give the Democrats their own Watergate. It was to give them their own Nixon. If Clinton had resigned we would be hearing about the horror of Whitewater to this day. They wouldn't have settled for talking about Lewinsky, they would have declared every wild accusation about the Clintons to be validated--not too far from what is happening today.

The Ken Starr operation was an assault on liberal democracy. He didn't just overreach, he was a criminal and a fascist. He used to investigate the entire lives of Whitewater figures, find a reason to indict them, and then offer to drop the charges if they would commit perjury and make false accusations against the Clintons regarding Whitewater.

Now, as for Monica Lewinsky, the reason why Clinton's actions look so much worse today is because the details of history have been falsified. People are mistakenly under the impression that Monica Lewinsky was coerced. They don't remember that she told people that she was going to the White House in the hopes of hooking up with the president. They don't remember that he tried to break it off multiple times and she kept insisting that they should keep it going. They don't remember that she began their relationship by flashing him her thong underwear. They don't remember that she desperately wanted to have what she considered a real sexual relationship with him, meaning sexual intercourse, and he kept refusing, and, in fact, he never did.

In the Me Too era, when all relationships between subordinates and superiors in the workplace are considered illegitimate, the relationship would not have happened. The same goes for relationships engaged in by Eisenhower and Kennedy, but we never talk about them, because it is understood that it was a different time, with different regulations. With Clinton it is different because people have falsified the details of history.

[RhodeIslandOne]

46. Starr's prosecution was an overreach and Clinton's actions were unethical

Both can be true and stand on their own merits.

Clinton needed to be the bigger person then and now, and Katie should have as well. I’m not sure why you think Clinton would have turned down Monica’s advances now, but so be it.

[StevieM]

47. It makes me so sad to hear that Democrats do not understand the reality of Mr. Starr's operation.

Ken Starr's prosecution was not an overreach, it was an assault on liberal democracy. He actively worked to pressure people into committing perjury. He threatened to destroy people's lives if they would not parrot his lies.

Ken Starr was not an overzealous prosecutor--he was a fascist.

[RhodeIslandOne]

48. You're steering the topic far off point based on what the op is about

Ken Starr was a piece of shit and the situation was not worthy of impeachment.

But Bill Clinton shouldn’t have accepted an underlings advances, which is more germane to the current topic.

[StevieM]

49. I disagree on a couple of fronts.

The issue you raised is whether or not Bill Clinton should have resigned. And I pointed out what a catastrophe it would have been for our democracy if he had. It was imperative that the GOP not succeed in their efforts to drive a Democrat from office by setting up an evil operation like the one Mr. Starr presided over.

I also think it is important to remember that all workplace relationships between subordinates and superiors were not considered sexual harassment, or even sexual misconduct, in the 90s. Those standards have since changed. I have no doubt Bill Clinton would behave by today's standards if he was in office today.

One of the more popular movies of that era was the American President, starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss. It was about a widowed president who begins a new relationship. It was considered a romantic story at the time. Today it would be considered sexual harassment, since he had the power to hire and fire her.

Funny how in the me too era we haven't heard a word about similar relationships by Eisenhower or Kennedy. And when George HW Bush died the media just ignored the multiple groping allegations against him. And they have never said a word about the rape allegation against Ronald Reagan. It seems like a politician's poll numbers, or how the media feels about them, is what determines how we label them, not their actual actions.

[RhodeIslandOne]

77. We never heard about Kennedy's relationships???

Ok, we’re done here.

[StevieM]

78. What I meant is that in the Me Too era they haven't been slammed and Kennedy hasn't been savaged.

People aren't calling him a disgraced figure and they aren't claiming that we need to have a reckoning over him.

[Polybius]

63. Al Gore would have had the incumbency advantage in 2000

So he likely would have won in 2000. He also listed to his advisers and wouldn't ignore Bin Laden, so there would have been no 9/11.

[SunSeeker]

56. She denied having an affair with a Congressional staffer.

If she had an affair with a Congressional staffer, that could entail an ethics violation. But it certainly would not require her to resign.

Regardless, the affair was with a campaign aide before she took office, so no House ethics rules were breached.

[IronLionZion]

34. Dems resign when they are caught in scandal

Repubs stay and go on to have more and bigger scandals.



Maybe our Dem leadership asked her to resign?

[Dr. Strange]

38. The Code of Official Conduct doesn't seem to make that distinction.

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.

[joshcryer]

54. So basically, it's a pro-marriage conduct code.

Seems outdated.

[Canoe52]

58. +1

[SunSeeker]

57. Her affair was not with an "employee of the House."

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.

  (b) A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not engage in unwelcome sexual advances or conduct towards another Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House.
  (c) In this clause, the term ‘employee’ includes an applicant for employment, a paid or unpaid intern (including an applicant for an internship), a detailee, and an individual participating in a fellowship program.

She denied having an affair with an employee of the House. She only admitted to an affair with a campaign aide, not a Congressional staffer, so no House ethics rules were breached.

[Tiggeroshii]

37. Well they screwed the pooch on this one...

[IronLionZion]

39. Damn, there was a dog too?

now she's gone too far

[DashOneBravo]

51. LOL

[Hotler]

68. reported to be fond of peanut butter. nt

[IronLionZion]

70. Dogs won't even take photos, let alone send them to tabloids

They say if you want a loyal friend in politics, get a dog.

[Hotler]

71. come on boy! touch the doll with your paw and...

show me where you saw your owner touch the other person...

[George II]

41. This really sucks. She was really good, and was a good colleague to many of our representatives...

The one anecdote I recall from earlier this year, she gave up her "lottery" position to Ayanna Pressley for choice of office. Pressley's idol was Shirley Chisolm, and Hill thought she deserved Chisolm's office. That gesture alone shows the kind of woman she is.

Sorry to see that a rightwing moron exposed her personal life and forced her to give up her seat. Sad all around.

[Lokilooney]

44. Ok so uh, yeah

I did a quick search on some of the allegations, I suppose it's not so much of the alleged naked bong photo but apparently a German iron cross tattoo in a NSFW area? If true that might be an entirely different subject...of course we are talking about teh internets so, you know...

[SunSeeker]

55. She shouldn't have resigned. It was a consensual affair in the midst of a bad marriage.

We keep letting a much harsher standard apply to Dems' personal lives.

[Blue_Tires]

65. I agree, *BUT*...

supposedly the Daily Mail and Breitbart or whoever has hundreds of photos given by that piece-of-shit ex-husband... So I understand if Hill doesn't want to be forever looking over her shoulder waiting for the next batch of photos to be released at the most inconvenient time...

And yes, that ex-husband belongs in jail.

[Bayard]

59. Ahh, dammitt.

Not this again.

I have been impressed every time I have seen her interviewed or in hearings. A great loss of another good one. Rethugs would never think of resigning over something like this, or what Franken was accused of.

[iluvtennis]

60. She was a hell of a fighter against big corporations & seeking to get livable wages for the common

folks.

I believe the big boy corp execs that she verbally took down in hearings dug into her sex life (which should be private) to air this dirt.

Will so miss Katie Porter.

[DeminPennswoods]

61. Wrong Katie

Hill, not Porter.

[iluvtennis]

66. Thanks for letting me know - much appreciated.

[diva77]

74. Katie HILL not Porter!!!!!!!!

on edit: oops, just saw someone else corrected you

[iluvtennis]

75. Yep, my bad :-(

[Jose Garcia]

64. Was it a mistake for the House to amend ethics rules to

prohibit members fron having sexual relationships with staff?

[MosheFeingold]

67. What's up with her Iron Cross tattoo?

That's typically a white supremacist tattoo.

Does she have an explanation?

[IronLionZion]

69. The iron cross, like the swastika, meant good things before Nazis adopted it

and the ADL has given this statement on Katie Hill's tattoo:

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) references in its hate symbols database that the iron cross symbol goes back to the 19th century, included on medals for the German Empire. It was later adopted by Nazis for their medals, putting a swastika in the middle of the cross.

However, the ADL does note the ‘Iron Cross in isolation (i.e., without a superimposed swastika or without other accompanying hate symbols) cannot be determined to be a hate symbol,’ because bikers, skateboarders and extreme sports enthusiasts frequently use the symbol.

https://uproxx.com/viral/rep-katie-hill-nazi-tattoo/

[MosheFeingold]

73. Well, she got the tattoo after WWII

I strongly suspect. Or I need to take what she's been taking. I look and feel like shit this last year.

In seriousness, I'm not accusing her of being Nazi. But is a curious tattoo and one that she should probably answer about.

It could be "I was a stupid git, drunk, and 18 and didn't think about it." Or whatever.

But it's very curious tatoo for a Democratic politician to have, and an explanation needs to be made.

Failing to provide an explanation leads me to suspect that the reason is a bad one.

[IronLionZion]

72. Her district is on fire right now

and she was working on getting federal aid to support the local and state firefighters. I hope that aid still arrives for them.

[diva77]

79. Resignation/Expulsion is on the severe end of Congressional remedies for breaking the rules.

On behalf of all the people who worked so hard to get her elected, she owed it to them to consider censure or reprimand rather than giving up the seat so quickly.

https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Discipline/

Discipline & Punishment

“Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”
—Article 1, section 5, clause 2

The Constitution grants the House broad power to discipline its Members for acts that range from criminal misconduct to violations of internal House Rules. While the constitutional authority to punish a Member who engages in “disorderly Behaviour” is intended, in part, as an instrument of individual rebuke, it serves principally to protect the reputation of the institution and to preserve the dignity of its proceedings.

Over the decades, several forms of discipline have evolved in the House. The most severe type of punishment is expulsion from the House, which is followed by censure, and finally reprimand. Expulsion, as mandated in the Constitution, requires a two-thirds majority vote. Censure and reprimand, which evolved through House precedent and practice, are imposed by a simple majority of the full House.
SNIP