WASHINGTON _ Embattled Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., on Monday defended herself against the barrage of "revenge porn" she said was circulated by her estranged husband, and she vowed that her new cause would be preventing such attacks on other women.
The freshman Democrat announced Sunday evening she would resign from Congress "with a broken heart" after the release of intimate photos and allegations she had had affairs with both a campaign aide and a staffer in her congressional office.
In a nearly four-minute video posted on her social media accounts Monday, Hill said she would take up the new cause but did not address the allegations of affairs.
"My fight is not over," she said. "I will fight to make sure that no one else has to live through what I just experienced."
Hill portrayed herself the victim of an "abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives" and said they would be held responsible.
"I'm hurt, I'm angry. The path that I saw so clearly for myself is no longer there," she said, appearing to grow emotional as she apologized to her constituents. "I never thought my imperfections would be weaponized and used to try to destroy me and the community that I have loved."
Previously, Hill acknowledged the relationship with a campaign aide as a mistake but denied the allegation involving a congressional staffer, which would have been a violation of House rules.
Hill, who grew up riding horses, said she learned to get back up when she fell. "I'm going to do that," she said.
