U.S. Congresswoman Katie Hill, a freshman Democrat of California, resigned after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a congressional staffer – which she denies – and after “revenge porn” naked photos, allegedly of her, were leaked to the press and published by or linked to by right wing blogs and supposed news sites.
Hill, who is bisexual, blames her estranged husband for the release of the images. She resigned Sunday. Her resignation is effective Friday.
Thursday afternoon she delivered a powerful, honest, striking speech, her last from the House floor – at least for now, she says.
“I am leaving because of a misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked pictures, capitalized on my sexuality and enabled my abusive ex to continue that abuse, this time with the entire country watching,” Rep. Hill told her colleagues.
“I am leaving because of 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.”
“I am leaving because I didn’t want to be peddled by papers and blogs and websites, used by shameless operatives for the dirtiest gutter politics that I have ever seen,” she added.
Here’s a short clip:
Here’s the full video: