With Hasty Resignation From Congress, Katie Hill Scandal Reveals Even More

Allegations and photos emerged of now-former U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) and her husband involved in a “throuple” threesome relationship with a young congressional staffer. Hill’s husband Kenny Heslep was also told “by numerous sources” that Hill had been involved in a sexual relationship for a year with her then-finance director, now Legislative Director, Graham Kelly, RedState reported.

Days later, DailyMail.com reported more photographs of Democrat Katie Hill posing naked with a tattoo of what appears to be a Nazi-era Iron Cross on her bikini line while smoking a bong and making out with her young female aide.

DailyMail.com also reported they had obtained a “cache of texts and intimate photographs which revealed Hill and Heslep had posted her naked photos online under a thread called ‘WouldYouF**kMyWife’?”

Hill’s Resignation

Hill has resigned from Congress, claiming to be a victim of “revenge porn,” and she claimed her husband was abusive.

The suggestion has been made that Katie Hill’s speedy retreat was a sure sign that the revelations were not only true but that there were more coming. Well, California Globe is now in possession of some additional suggestive postings.

California Globe received a tip, with attached photo screen shots of Hill and her husband Kenny Helsep showing that they had a profile on www.cruiseshipmingle.com, a website used by people going on a cruise to hook up sexually. The link for Cruise Ship Mingle says it “specializes in connecting Cruise Goers for amazing Cruise Hookups, Cruise Sex, Cruise Dating, Cruise Swinging & Other Cruise fun adventures.”

Hill and Helsep’s ad page is listed as Angelbutt-123, and says:

“We are a freaky fun-loving couple looking for another freaky couple for some HOT, Steamy and  Kinky encounters on our cruise to Mexico in February 2018. We have another female friend of ours joining us and adding another couple or a decent guy or a woman will make this Cruise an experience to remember. We are ok with soft or full swap in the same or in a different room. If interested send us a message.”

We checked out the latest tip and saw for ourselves the cruise line advertisement.

Federal Elections Commission Violations

It has also been alleged that when Katie Hill was a candidate, she and her campaign staffer went on vacation and other personal trips together during the campaign.

A complaint filed (below) with the Federal Elections Commission says the staffer, Morgan Desjardins, was paid to be available for personal and private purposes unrelated to the Representative’s congressional campaign. As such, as a candidate in the 2017-2018 election cycle, Rep. Katie Hill misused campaign funds for her personal use, the complaint alleges.

The complaint was filed with the FEC by 31-year Simi Valley resident and Katie Hill constituent, Stephen Frank.

“Representative Hill appears to have used campaign funds for over a year to employ an individual with whom she was having an improper, personal relationship,” the FEC complaint says. “Every campaign committee disbursement to Ms. Desjardins throughout 2018 can be viewed not as the fulfillment of a commitment, obligation or expense to the candidate’s campaign, but as a means to keep an individual close and available to the candidate for personal and private purposes unrelated to campaign activities.”

The Hasty Resignation

Many have expressed wonder at Hill’s hasty, almost knee-jerk resignation, given that many politicians who have had equally damning, or worse revelations, have weathered their own scandals.

California’s own Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who together with his wife, pleaded not guilty in 2018 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, falsification of records and aiding and abetting in the prohibited use of campaign contributions totaling more than $250,000, the Los Angeles Times reported. Hunter remains in office, and is being challenged by Republicans in the next election.

Of the top politicians in Virginia, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam was under pressure to resign (but did not) after photos from his 1984 medical school yearbook surfaced, showing him in blackface and KKK robes. A college professor has accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004, an accusation the Washington Post called “credible.” A second accuser went public, saying that the lieutenant governor had raped her in college, Vox reported. And, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring — who would have been the next in the line of succession after Fairfax — revealed that he had also appeared in blackface at a college party in the 1980s, according to the Associated Press. Northam, Fairfax and Herring did not resign.

Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton announced he would retire — after initially refusing to – when a nude photo of him, and sexually explicit messages to a constituent surfaced in the media in 2017 during the #MeToo scandals. Barton announced instead he would leave Congress in 2018  because, “There are enough people who lost faith in me that it’s time to step aside and let there be a new voice for the 6th district in Washington,” Vox reported.

The California Legislature endured a couple of recent awkward years when several male members of the Legislature were accused of sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. Even female Assembly member, Cristina Garcia, was accused by Assembly staffer Daniel Fierro, of groping him at the annual Assembly softball game in Sacramento. And a lobbyist, allegedly accused Garcia of attempting to grab his crotch –  charges Garcia denied. Fierro filed a complaint in early 2019 for damages against Garcia, the State Assembly, the Assembly Rules Committee and the State of California. Garcia became a prominent member of the #WeSaidEnough group of hundreds of State Capitol women who signed a letter protesting harassment—by men.

It is not our place to judge Katie Hill — that is for the voters in the 25th congressional district to decide. But it appears there is more than “revenge porn” involved.

We will follow the FEC complaint as well, and welcome future tips.

Read all of California Globe’s coverage of Katie Hill HERE.