Rep. Katie Hill is threatening to sue the Daily Mail for revenge porn after it published nude pictures of her
- Lawyers for California Rep. Katie Hill have threatened to sue tabloid news site DailyMail.com after it published pictures of her nude with a campaign aide.
- A legal letter obtained by Politico accuses the Mail of breaching California's law against distributing private explicit photos, known as revenge porn.
- It also says the Mail defamed her by falsely claiming that she has a "Nazi-era iron cross tattoo."
- Hill on Thursday admitted having an "inappropriate" relationship with a campaign aide, who is also a subject of the Mail story.
- Separately, the House Ethic Committee is investigating claims that Hill had another relationship with a staffer, who is male. Hill denies that a relationship took place.
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Rep. Katie Hill is threatening to sue tabloid news site DailyMail.com after it published pictures of her nude with a female campaign aide with whom she had a relationship.
Her attorneys accused the outlet, a sister publication of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, of breaching revenge porn laws in California that prohibit the unauthorized sharing of explicit photos.
Lawyers for Hill, who represents the 25th District of California, said that the site also defamed her by claiming that she has a "Nazi era" tattoo on her pelvic area.
A letter from legal firm Elias and Jacobs letter, obtained by Politico, said: "You have also exposed your publication to grave legal consequences for California has some of the strongest criminal laws in the United States against the secretive generation and distribution of private, sexual images.
"The California Penal Code accordingly makes it a criminal offense to 'intentionally distribute the image of the intimate body part or parts of another identifiable person.'"
The letter also said: "The claim that Representative Hill has Nazi imagery on her body in the form of a tattoo is false and defamatory.
It demanded that the Mail take down the story immediately. At time of publication, the story was still live on the Mail's website.
The outlet did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the threatened lawsuit.
Hill is the vice-chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which is part of the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump.
In a letter to constituents on Thursday, Hill admitted to an "inappropriate" relationship with a campaign aide while she was campaigning for election to the House of Representatives.
"I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment," Hill wrote.
"For that I apologize. I wish nothing but the best for her and hope everyone respects her privacy in this difficult time."
The admission follows the publication by conservative blog RedState last week of a nude picture of Hill brushing the hair of the person it claims is the aide.
The site said it received the information from "multiple confidential sources," and said that Hill and her estranged husband Kenny Heslep were engaged in a polyamorous relationship with the woman. Further images were published by the Mail on Thursday, including one appearing to show the tattoo.
Separately, the House Ethics Committee in a statement Wednesday said it was launching an inquiry into claims made by RedState that Hill was involved in a relationship with a male staffer - named by the blog as Graham Kelly - since her election to the House last year, in violation of ethics rules.
The Ethics Committee noted that the investigation "does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred."
Hill, in a statement to Politico, denied having a relationship with Kelly.
"Allegations that I have been involved in a relationship with Mr. Kelly are absolutely false," Hill said.
Business Insider has been unable to reach Kelly or Heslep for comment.
In her letter, she wrote that she had alerted Capitol Police to the publication of the intimate pictures by RedState.
"Distributing intimate photos with the intent to publish them is a crime, and the perpetrator should be punished to the full extent of the law," she wrote.
"I have notified Capitol Police, who are investigating it, and therefore will have no further comment on the matter."
She claimed that the source of the allegations and pictures is her husband, with whom she is engaged in an acrimonious divorce, and whom she claimed "seems determined to try to humiliate me."