’Former staff’ of disgraced Rep. Katie Hill use ex-lawmaker’s Twitter account to accuse her of ‘workplace abuse’

A series of messages posted to the verified Twitter account of former Rep. Katie Hill accused her of abusing her congressional staff. Hill, who resigned following a salacious sex scandal, claims that the account was hacked. 

Hill, a Democrat who vacated her seat in October 2019 following allegations that she had extramarital affairs with multiple members of her staff, once again found herself in the spotlight after it was announced on Tuesday that her memoir would be turned into a film. The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss will play Hill in the movie, which is being produced for a streaming service. 

Although rocked by scandal, with even nude photographs of the California politician leaking on the internet, Hill has branded herself as a bold progressive who was unfairly targeted for political reasons. But the credibility boost she received following the announcement of the film was marred by a bizarre Twitter thread posted to her verified (and until now inactive) congressional Twitter account. 

The series of messages, allegedly penned by ‘former staff’ of the ex-representative, begin with the mysterious author expressing disappointment with Moss and Blumhouse Television, which is producing the film based on Hill’s memoir. 

Although describing Hill as an “LGBTQ+ woman who faced abuse from her husband,” the nameless poster said the former congresswoman’s story requires “more nuance.” 

The messages argue that Hill was “both a victim and perpetrator” who engaged in “workplace abuse and harassment.” 

Katie Hill is not a hero for women. We deserve heroes who embody our values even in the most difficult moments.

Hill’s behavior “caused immense harm” to her staff, one tweet stated, noting that many of the people who worked for her were “young women just beginning their careers in politics.”

The thread ended by arguing that the anti-sexual harassment movement, #MeToo, could only succeed if women held people in their own communities accountable for their problematic actions. 

Responding from her personal account, Hill claimed that the incendiary allegations were the result of a “hack” and had reported the incident to Twitter.  

“Control of my account was immediately handed back to the House Clerk when I resigned, including password changes and access restrictions. God knows who hacked it from there,” she wrote.

The tweets could potentially lead to new questions about Hill’s personal relationships during her short tenure in Congress. In October 2018, allegations emerged that she was involved in an extramarital affair with her male legislative director. She denied the charge but later admitted to an “inappropriate relationship” with a 22-year-old female campaign staffer, but insisted that it had started before she entered Congress. She resigned before a congressional investigation could be launched into the matter. 

Like this story? Share it with a friend!