Peter Hasson on November 1, 2019
Democratic California Rep. Katie Hill and her defenders have said the congresswoman is the victim of a double standard, but history indicates otherwise.
Hill is resigning over alleged extramarital affairs she had with two different staffers. She admitted to having an “inappropriate” affair with a female campaign staffer, but denied having an affair with a male congressional aide, which would have violated House ethics rules.
Hill blamed her resignation Thursday on what she called a sexist double standard — a line that multiple media outlets echoed in their coverage of her resignation.
On the contrary, extramarital affairs have repeatedly cost male politicians their jobs. Contrary to Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who said that “revenge porn” doesn’t “happen to male members in the same way” — male politicians have repeatedly seen lewd photos of themselves leaked without their consent.
Here are some examples:
Former Republican Texas Rep. Joe Barton announced in his retirement in 2017, after a nude photograph of the congressman was posted online, revealing an extramarital affair. Barton apologized for the photo and left Congress after his seventeenth term.
An extramarital affair cost former Republican Indiana Rep. Mark Souder his job as well. Souder resigned in 2010 after he admitted to having an affair with one of his congressional staffers — the same allegation that Hill faced before she announced her resignation.
Former Republican New York Rep. Chris Lee resigned in 2011, after left-wing blog Gawker published a shirtless photo the married congressman sent to a woman other than his wife. Unlike Hill, Lee was not alleged to be involved with any of his own staffers.
Former Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy resigned in 2017 after admitting to an extramarital affair. Murphy reportedly encouraged his mistress to have an abortion after she became pregnant.
Former Democratic New York Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after he was revealed to have sent explicit photographs of himself to a number of women. Weiner’s sexting scandals continued after he left Congress — his 2013 mayoral bid was scuttled after he was exposing sexting under the name “Carlos Danger” — and he later served time in prison in relation to sexually explicit messages he exchanged with an underage girl.
Robert Livingston
More than two decades before Hill’s resignation, former Republican Louisiana Rep. Robert Livingston announced his resignation from Congress in 1998 after admitting to an extramarital affair.
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Its not the affair that mattered. They all have affairs. You just cannot have sex with people you have power over. The power of hiring and firing. Thats where the problem is.
Bye, bye Katie it's been nice now it's time for paradise hope you see our point of view when we say good riddance to you.
Perhaps the most notable . . .Bill Clinton!!!!
One name that ought to shut all Democrats up forever about the sexual improprieties of THEIR members; KENNEDY!! And .... they got away with them, FOR YEARS!!
So ----- I'm recently divorced ----- I wonder if she's available for a little slap-and-tickle.
AOC says: that's funny. She has no clue. She always runs off the mouth before she finds out what is really going on.
As far as Hill, she's a liberal, it's always someone else's fault.
Their two top rules are the D&D Deny and Deflect. When that fails blame it on someone else
These woman in Congress can’t get the fact this is wrong! They can’t have it just being wrong for men! Hill had an affair with one of her staff period!
The problem is that liberals don't have any morals so they think this behavior is ok for THEM, but not for us. Second, liberals have selective memory disorders.