The posters went on to write in a 10-part Twitter thread that Hill’s story “is also one of workplace abuse and harassment.” Hill “can be both a victim and perpetrator,” they wrote, arguing that she “is not a hero for women.”
“Katie Hill was never investigated by the House Ethics Committee, nor has she been held accountable by anyone other than herself,” the posters wrote. “We encourage everyone to reflect deeply before taking her word at face value.”
Hill, a Democrat elected in 2018 to represent California’s 25th congressional district, resigned last October amid allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staffers in her office and on her congressional campaign.
At the time of her resignation, Hill was under investigation by the House ethics panel for allegations of an improper sexual relationship with a male congressional staffer. She had denied that accusation, but admitted to an “inappropriate” relationship with a female campaign staffer.
Several nude photos of Hill were published by conservative media outlets amid the scandal, which she blamed on an “abusive” husband she was divorcing at the time.
In their messages Wednesday, the anonymous posters wrote that Hill “took advantage of her subordinates” and “caused immense harm to the people who worked for her, many of whom were young women just beginning their careers in politics.”
“Believe us when we say: it’s not only about who starts it, it’s also about who ends it,” the posters wrote. “And, while Katie is certainly the survivor of abuse, we are not confident that she sufficiently acted to end her own patterns of inappropriate and abusive behavior.”
Hill addressed the messages in a tweet sent from her personal account less than an hour later, claiming that her old government account had been hacked.
“Control of my account was immediately handed back to the House Clerk when I resigned, including password changes and access restrictions,” she wrote. “God knows who hacked it from there. Reported to @twitter.”
In a farewell speech delivered from the House floor, Hill decried the “double standard” imposed on women in politics. She insisted she would “refuse to let this experience scare off other women who dare to take risks, who dare to step into this light, who dare to be powerful.”
Republican Mike Garcia won the special election for Hill’s seat in May, defeating Democrat Christy Smith in a closely watched race for the suburban, Southern California congressional district.
Hill, whose book was released in August, confirmed the news of its forthcoming adaptation Tuesday evening on Twitter, writing that she was “so honored to be played by the iconic Elisabeth Moss, and thrilled to work with this incredible team.” Hill is attached to executive produce the project.