Katie Hill reveals sex scandal put her in ‘darkest’ place in final congressional speech

Democratic Rep. Katie Hill said her explosive sex scandal put her in one of the “darkest places that a mind can go” as she gave her final speech on the House floor — and blamed a “misogynistic culture” for her resignation.

The California congresswoman said Thursday she was stepping down due to a “misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked pictures, capitalized on my sexuality and enabled my abusive ex to continue that abuse.”

“I’m leaving, but we have men who have been credibly accused of intentional acts of sexual violence and remain in boardrooms, on the Supreme Court, in this very body, and worst of all, in the Oval Office,” Hill said.

Hill claimed her appearance on Capitol Hill was the first time she had left her apartment since scandalous photos emerged along with reports she carried on inappropriate relationships with two staffers.

“I went to the darkest places that a mind can go,” Hill said. “But I made it through because the people who loved me most dragged me back into the light.”

Hill apologized to her constituents and supporters, saying that she “fell short” of their expectations for her tenure.

“I wanted to show young people, queer people, working people, imperfect people that they belong here because this is the people’s house,” she said. “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, who sat next to Rep. Ilhan Omar, convened with colleagues to vote on the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

The embattled lawmaker received goodbye hugs from well-wishers, with her final day on Capitol Hill slated for Friday.

Hill gave her resignation amid an ethics investigation into an alleged relationship with a male congressional aide, Graham Kelly. She has denied having an affair with him, but fessed up to carrying on a long-term “throuple” with a younger female staffer and her estranged husband.

She was not the first lawmaker to resign over a sex scandal, despite her claims that only women were subject to a double standard.

Texas Rep. Joe Barton was shamed out of office when a nude photo he sent to a woman who was not his wife was posted online, and then when X-rated messages he sent to a second woman became public. He announced in 2017 that he wouldn’t seek resignation.

Before her explosive scandal, Hill was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. She was a protege of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was voted into a leadership position on the powerful Oversight Committee.

“It’s shameful that she’s been exposed to public humiliation by cyber exploitation,” Pelosi said Thursday.

While leaving Capitol Hill after her speech, Hill told reporters that Pelosi didn’t put any pressure on her to resign, encouraging her to hold off on stepping down.

“She asked me to stay longer, and, you know, [asked] ‘Are you sure that you made this decision?,'” Hill said. “I had a number of people call me and asked me to reconsider.”

As far as future plans, Hill said she wants to work with her soon-to-be former colleagues on a bill to combat revenge porn.

“The overwhelming message from my colleagues was that there’s a lot more that needs to be done and that they are with me and that they expect to see me again in some way, shape or form,” she said. “So I felt tremendously supported. And I expect to be back somehow.”