A US congresswoman has been forced to resign after an investigation was launched into unproven claims she had an affair with a political aide.
California Democrat Katie Hill, who was elected in 2018, stepped down from her position as a representative late on Sunday night, three days after an ethics committee began investigating the allegations.
She has denied the affair, which would potentially breach rules within the US House of Representatives, and in a statement released at the start of the investigation the ethics committee emphasised that the enquiry’s opening did not necessarily mean that “any violation had occurred”.
Hill’s personal life has become the focus of intense media scrutiny after a conservative blog published intimate photographs of her and claimed she and her husband had been in a polyamorous relationship prior to their divorce.
Shortly before the investigation was announced she sent a letter to her supporters confirming she had been involved in an affair with a female member of her campaign team during the 2018 election, which she described as “inappropriate”. The ethics committee is not investigating the relationship as it took place before Hill won her place in the House.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Hill referenced her “abusive husband”, calling him as a “monster”, and describing the release of the pictures as “cyber exploitation”.
She said: “The good people who supported me will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of political operatives who seem to happily provide a platform to a monster who is driving a smear campaign built around cyber exploitation.”
In the emotional letter she apologised for the “mistakes made along the way” and to the “people who have been hurt,” stating that she planned to fight to “defeat this type of exploitation that so many women are victims to and which will keep countless come and girls from running for office or entering public light.”
During her time as a representative Hill also became the vice-chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which has been looking into the circumstances around Donald Trump’s financial dealings.
In her statement she added: “I know that as long as I am in Congress, we’ll live fearful of what might come next and how much it will hurt. That’s I feeling I know all too well.
“It’s the feeling I decided to leave when I left my marriage, and one I will not tolerate being forced upon others.
“I can no longer allow my community, family, friends, staff, supporters, and especially the children who look up to me as a role model, to suffer this unprecedented brand of cruelty.”
She has vowed to take legal action against outlets who published the images, and has threatened to sue the Daily Mail over their decision to post the pictures, as well as other claims made within their article, the Guardian reported.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that Hill came to Congress “with a powerful commitment to her community and a bright vision for her future,” but the lawmaker’s decision to resign is an appropriate one.
“She has acknowledged errors in judgment that made her continued service as a Member untenable,” Pelosi said. “We must ensure a climate of integrity and dignity in the Congress, and in all workplaces.”
The chain of events that lead to Hill’s resignation has been condemned by her supporters, who pointed to allegations against the US president which appeared not to have damaged his career.