Rep. Katie Hill, the subject of a new House Ethics Committee inquiry over an alleged relationship with a staff member, is the first female lawmaker to face such a charge.
The first-term California Democrat denies she ever had an inappropriate relationship with her legislative director, Graham Kelly, as alleged by her estranged husband, Kenny Heslep. The pair are in the midst of divorce proceedings, and Heslep also alleged that he, Hill, and a staff member on her successful 2018 campaign for a northern Los Angeles County seat were engaged in an intimate relationship, including explicit photos that appeared on the conservative site RedState.
Hill admitted Wednesday night to having an affair with a campaign worker and promised to work with the House Ethics Committee.
Dozens of House members have been involved in Capitol Hill sex scandals, but to date, they’ve all been men. Members of both parties have been implicated.
In 2017, for instance, then-Rep. Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican, was investigated by the ethics committee after House officials learned that he had asked two female employees to bear his child as a surrogate. But Franks abruptly resigned before the committee study concluded, meaning the panel lost jurisdiction since he was no longer a House member. – read more