'I Am Leaving Now Because Of A Double Standard': Rep. Katie Hill Addresses Congress One Final Time

Democratic Rep. Katie Hill gave her final speech on the floor of the Home of Representatives on Thursday (October 31) soon after announcing she would resign from her seat earlier this week.


“I came here to give a voice to the unheard in the halls of power. I came here to give a voice to the unheard in the halls of power,” she mentioned. “I wanted to show young people, queer people, working people, imperfect people that they belong here because this is the people's home. I fell short of that and I'm sorry. To every young person who saw themselves and their dreams reflected in me, I'm sorry.”


Hill determined to resign from her seat on Sunday (October 27), immediately after right wing media orchestrated a revenge porn attack against her by posting her personalized photographs without her consent. Revenge porn is against the law in the District of Columbia, and punishable by jail time.


The Home Ethics Committee has been investigating her alleged relationship with a staffer who worked on her congressional campaign, since sexual relationships between members and their aides is against Home rules. Hill admitted to having a relationship with one of her campaign staffers, which isn't explicitly against the rules, and mentioned this relationship only took place before she took office (the staffer did not work with Hill in Congress). She has denied all allegations that she had a relationship with her legislative director, which would violate Residence rules.


“I will never shirk my responsibility for this sudden ending for my time here, yet I have to mention more because this is bigger than me,” Hill mentioned in her speech on Thursday. “I am leaving right now because of a double regular. I am leaving because I no longer wish to be used as a bargaining chip. I’m leaving because I didn’t wish to be peddled by papers and blogs and websites; used by shameless operative for the dirtiest gutter-politics that I have ever seen; and the right-wing media to drive clicks and expand their audience by allocating intimate pictures of me, taken without my knowledge, let alone my consent, for the sexual entertainment of millions. I am leaving because of a misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked photographs, capitalized on my sexuality and enabled my abusive ex to continue that abuse, this time with the full nation watching.”


Hill claims that her ex-husband helped right-wing media publish the revenge porn; her ex-husband’s parents mention his computer was hacked, according to Buzzfeed News.


“I am leaving due to the thousands of vile threatening emails, calls, and texts that made me fear for my life and the lives of the people that I care about. Today is the opening time that I’ve left my apartment since the pictures, taken without my consent, were released. And I’m scared. I’m leaving, because for the sake of my community, my employees, my family member, and myself I can’t let this to continue. Because I've Been told that people were furious While I stood strong right following the initial article was posted, and that they had hundreds of photographs and text messages that they would release bit by bit up until they broke me down to nothing up until they used my faults and my past to distract from the things that matter most.”


Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi said Thursday (October 31) in a news conference before Hill's speech that being “exposed to public humiliation by cyber exploitation” is “shameful,” adding, “countless girls across Residents of the
U.S. Have been subjected to this kind of harassment and abuse, which is a profound violation of these women's rights.” At least ten million Residents of the United States have been targeted by people looking to weaponize revenge porn against them; while the act is unlawful in 46 states and Washington, D.C., there is no federal law prohibiting the acts or protecting the victims.


On Thursday morning, the last time Hill cast her vote, it was to support the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.


“I’m leaving because there’s only one investigation that deserves a persons vision of this country,” she added. “And that’s the one that we voted on today.”