Disgraced former Rep. Katie Hill’s (D-CA) ex-staffers commandeered her official government account on Tuesday and posted a slew of messages critical of their former boss.
The string of messages from the anonymous former employees came on the heels of an announcement that Blumhouse Pictures, a studio best known for horror movies, is producing a film about Hill’s life.
Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said he was “inspired” by Hill’s story, which includes a “throuple” involving her then-husband and a female campaign staffer.
This is an incredibly sensitive situation. We appreciate the instinct to defend our former boss, an LGBTQ+ woman who faced abuse from her husband.
— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) October 7, 2020
“Katie’s former staff here,” the trail of messages began, before saying they were “disappointed” in Blum, actress Elizabeth Moss, who will portray Hill, and Michael Seitzman, the screenwriter.
“What happened to Katie Hill shouldn’t happen to anyone. But, this moment requires more nuance, as Katie Hill’s story — our story — is also one of workplace abuse and harassment,” they said in another tweet.
Katie Hill can be both a victim and perpetrator. And, staff can experience severe consequences for speaking out against their powerful boss.
— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) October 7, 2020
“Katie Hill can be both a victim and perpetrator,” they wrote, alluding to Hill’s allegation that her former husband abused her. “And, staff can experience severe consequences for speaking out against their powerful boss.”
Katie Hill was never investigated by the House Ethics Committee, nor has she been held accountable by anyone other than herself. We encourage everyone to reflect deeply before taking her word at face value.
— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) October 7, 2020
“Katie Hill was never investigated by the House Ethics Committee, nor has she been held accountable by anyone other than herself,” her former staffers wrote.
Resigning before a formal ethics committee investigation can begin is a known tactic of members of Congress facing allegations, especially of a sexual abuse nature.
For example, former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) was accused of exploiting the House Page Program after “sexually explicit instant message conversations with teenage congressional pages attributed to him surfaced,” CNN reported. He resigned in 2006 before the ethics committee could investigate his actions.
When the committee moved to look into who in the institution knew of Foley’s behavior and did nothing, Foley’s attorney said he would not participate.
“As an ex-member, he was no longer under the committee’s jurisdiction, and his lawyer said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right if made to testify,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Hill resigned one week after the ethics committee announced it would look into her behavior.
“We encourage everyone to reflect deeply before taking her word at face value,” Hill’s ex-staffers wrote.
Workplace abuse and harassment can take many different forms, but one thing is certain: it is never okay, even if your boss is a woman and/or a survivor.
— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) October 7, 2020
“Katie took advantage of her subordinates,” Hill’s former staffers alleged in another message. “She caused immense harm to the people who worked for her, many of whom were young women just beginning their careers in politics.”
Enough is enough. In order to advance the #MeToo movement, we must be willing to acknowledge the problematic behaviors among those in our own communities. Only then will we see true progress. #TimesUp #MeToo
— Rep. Katie Hill (@RepKatieHill) October 7, 2020
“Believe us when we say: it’s not only about who starts it, it’s also about who ends it,” the anonymous ex-employees said. “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.”
“Working with the talented team at Blumhouse and Michael [Seitzman], and the incredible Elisabeth Moss as the lead, is more than I ever could have imagined — I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to collaborating on this project,” Hill said in a statement.
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays. Listen to segments on YouTube or download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Parler.
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