Rep. Katie Hill denies allegations that she had relationship with staffer

Rep. Katie Hill (D-Santa Clarita) said in a statement Tuesday that allegations she had a relationship with a staff member were “absolutely false,� a response that came after a conservative website published multiple articles about the freshman Democrat.

Hill said in a statement she had contacted U.S. Capitol Police after intimate photos of her and another person were published by RedState, a conservative website, images she said were “published by Republican operatives on the internet without my consent.�

RedState published a series of articles over the last week that alleged Hill was involved in relationships with a campaign staffer and, separately, a congressional staff member.

Hill called the articles a “smear campaign.�

“The fact is I am going through a divorce from an abusive husband who seems determined to try to humiliate me,� Hill said in a statement. “I am disgusted that my opponents would seek to exploit such a private matter for political gain. This coordinated effort to try to destroy me and people close to me is despicable and will not succeed. I, like many women who have faced attacks like this before, am stronger than those who want me to be afraid.�

Hill said she was upset that “the deeply personal matter of my divorce has been brought into public view and the vindictive claims of my ex have now involved the lives and reputations of unrelated parties.�

In the midst of the #MeToo movement, the House voted in February to prohibit sexual relationships between lawmakers and their employees.

Times staff writer Christine Mai-Duc contributed to this report.