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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Did Katie Hill resign from Congress after the ethics committee launched an investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

California Congresswoman Katie Hill announced her resignation on Oct. 27, 2019. On Oct. 23, the House Ethics committee had opened an investigation into an alleged sexual relationship between Hill and someone on her congressional staff.

Around then, news media published revealing photos of Hill, her ex-husband and a female campaign staffer that predated her 2018 election.

In interviews, most recently with “Axios on HBO,” Hill has said she resigned because of the leaking of nude photos of herself. She told Axios she felt “relief” that she “could stop this barrage of a horror show.”

In other interviews, she expressed regret at having an intimate relationship with a staff member and spoke about the harassment faced by her family and staff. She also cited concerns that her scandal would be a liability for the Democratic Party ahead of impeachment proceedings against then-President Donald Trump.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US House of Representatives Ethics Committee Statement of chairman and ranking member regarding Rep. Katie Hill
Roll Call House Ethics opens investigation into Rep. Katie Hill over alleged staffer relationship
Axios Katie Hill cites duality in sex-scandal outcomes
Good Morning America (ABC) Former Rep. Katie Hill opens up about her resignation from Congress
Rolling Stone Katie Hill on ‘Useful Idiots’
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.