Attorneys for Rep. Katie Hill (D-California) sent a cease and desist letter to the British tabloid The Daily Mail for publishing nude photos of her.
Hill’s legal team also suggested that she was defamed by the Daily Mail‘s claims that she has a Nazi-inspired tattoo on her body.
The letter sent to the tabloid demanded they “remove these photos from publication at once.” The publication ran a series of intimate photos of Hill with a former campaign staffer and alleged that Hill had an affair during her congressional campaign.
Hill, who is going through a divorce, has admitted to an “inappropriate” relationship with an unnamed, female campaign staffer and apologized to her constituents over the matter.
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“During the final tumultuous years of my abusive marriage, I became involved in a relationship with someone on my campaign,” Hill said in a letter on Wednesday. “I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment. For that I apologize. I wish nothing but the best for her and hope everyone respects her privacy in this difficult time.”
Her husband reportedly discovered Hill having an extramarital affair with her legislative director, Graham Kelly. The conservative website RedState.org. published that allegation along with a nude photo of Hill on Oct. 18. Hill has vehemently denied having any sexual relations with Kelly.
Hill said she is cooperating with the House Ethics Committee as they investigate these allegations.
In 2018, the House of Representatives announced new rules prohibiting sexual relationships between members and their aides, although those the rules do not explicitly include campaign staff, like the woman Hill had a relationship with. A relationship between Hill and Kelly would fully violate these ethics rules.
In a statement, Hill alleged that the nude photos had been disseminated by her husband.
“I am going through a divorce from an abusive husband who seems determined to try to humiliate me,” she said. “I am disgusted that my opponents would seek to exploit such a private matter for political gain.”
The cease and desist letter seeks to limit the harm the Daily Mail‘s publication has caused, but the published images will likely linger on the internet forever.
