DEMOCRATIC Congresswoman Katie Hill has resigned after finding herself at the centre of a sex scandal when nude images of her appeared online.
Here is what we know about the lawmaker and the political storm she is embroiled in.
Who is Katie Hill?
Katherine Lauren Hill was born on August 25, 1987, in Abilene, Texas, but moved to California at a very young age.
Her parents, Rachel and Mike, are a nurse and a police lieutenant and Hill went to schools in the Santa Clarita valley before attending California State University.
After university she began her career as a policy advocate at People Assisting the Homeless, a non-profit organisation developing affordable and supportive services for the homeless in California.
She rose through the ranks to become Executive Director of the organisation before announcing her candidacy for California's 25th congressional district in 2017 as a Democrat.
She was elected on November 6, 2018, as the first openly bisexual member of congress from California.
What is the nude photo row?
Leaked pictures of Hill emerged in October 2019 one day after the 32-year-old became the subject of a House ethics investigation into allegations that she bedded two young legislative staffers, one male and one female.
One of the images appears to show the congresswoman nude with a "bong" filled with a brown liquid and an Iron Cross style tattoo on her midriff.
Another image appears to show the congresswoman, 32, kissing a female staffer, who has since been identified as 24-year-old Morgan Desjardins.
After the images were released, Hill's lawyer sent out a cease-and-desist letter to the Daily Mail, demanding it take down the images as this was an "invasion of privacy."
The Daily Mail reported that Hill and estranged husband, Kenny Heslep, who she is divorcing, were in a polyamorous three-way relationship with Desjardin for more than a year.
According to the messages leaked to RedState, Hill called off the relationship in May, four months after she moved to DC.
In a letter to her constituents on Wednesday, October 23, Hill acknowledged the relationship, writing: "I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgement.
“For that I apologise. I wish nothing but the best for her and hope everyone respects her privacy in this difficult time.”
When did she resign?
On October 31, Hill gave her final speech on the House floor.
She said: "I wasn’t ready for my time here to come to an end so soon. It’s a reality I’m still grappling with.
“I am leaving because there’s only one investigation that deserves the attention of this country, and that’s the one that we voted on today.
I am leaving now because of a double standard. 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."
Hill announced she was resigning on October 27 saying she made the decision "with a broken heart" and that explicit private photos of her with a campaign staffer had been "weaponised" by her husband and political operatives.
In a statement, Hill said: "Having private photos of personal moments weaponised against me has been an appalling invasion of my privacy.
"It's also illegal, and we are currently pursuing all of our available legal options," adding, "However, I know that as long as I am in Congress, we'll live fearful of what might come next and how much it will hurt."
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The statement also read: "For the mistakes made along the way and the people who have been hurt, I am so sorry, and I am learning.
“I am not a perfect person and never pretended to be. It’s one of the things that made my race so special.”
She has not specified when she will step down.
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