Rep. Katie Hill calls out 'double standard' that forced her resignation while men 'credibly accused of sexual assault' remain

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/NBC News)

published 31 October 2019

Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) knows she made mistakes.

But she's also aware that it was more than just those mistakes that forced her out of office. There's also a "double standard" that made her leave while "men who have been credibly accused of intentional acts of sexual violence" remain in government and in power, the resigning congressmember said in her final floor speech Thursday.

Hill on Thursday reiterated that she'd came to Congress to "give a voice to the unheard," including "young people, queer people, working people," and "imperfect people." Hill "fell short of that," she said, but it's not the only reason she's resigning. "I'm 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," she said.

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Hill's resignation, effective Friday, comes after admitting she had an "inappropriate" relationship with a campaign staffer, and after nude photos of her were published on a conservative website. Watch all of Hill's speech below. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.