The alleged sex scandal involving Democratic Rep. Katie Hill (CA) worsened on Tuesday after RedState — which published the initial story documenting the explosive allegations — released a new report on the scandal which raises questions about possible abuse by Hill toward the young female campaign staffer with whom she was allegedly having a sexual relationship. The new report also raises questions about the staffer’s ability to give consent in the alleged relationship.
In the age of #MeToo, activists contend that when a large power imbalance exists, such as between a CEO and an employee, the employee is incapable of giving consent. Even assuming that true consent existed at the beginning of the relationship, the power imbalance could keep an employee in a bad relationship for fear that they will lose their job or suffer other negative consequences.
In the case of the Hill throuple, text messages between Kenny Heslep [Hill’s husband] and Hill’s staffer from June 2019 depict an unhealthy, toxic relationship – Heslep even characterizes the way in which he and Hill treated the staffer as “abusive” as he apologizes for hurting her.
RedState’s Jennifer Van Laar exclusively reported on Friday that Hill was involved in a “throuple” relationship involving her then-husband and a young female campaign staffer.
RedState released blurred photos allegedly showing the explicit sexual contact between Hill and the young staffer.
The young female campaign staffer, who described the relationship as being “toxic,” reportedly wrote Hill a message in June 2019, saying in part: “I am terrified of pushing back against you or upsetting you. I have seen how you treat Kenny and I think that if I cause any issues, even if I am very worried about how you are acting, that very quickly you will decide you don’t want me in your life.”
In a message to Heslep, the staffer reportedly said: “Idk, I was getting ready and I was thinking about how much Katie liked to watch me [reference to a hobby]…It’s ok, she can’t take [this] from me. She can ruin politics, take all my friends, and isolate me, but she can’t have [this].”
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Rep. Katie Hill Sex Scandal Worsens: Staffer Felt Abused In ‘Toxic’ Relationship
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