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Chris Hayes on Katie Hill Resignation: 'It Really Seems Like the Bad Guys Won'

October 29, 2019

MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Monday night reacted to Rep. Katie Hill's (D., Calif.) resignation by calling the two media outlets that reported on her alleged sexual misconduct "bad guys."

"We don't know what we don't know in terms of relationships with staffers," Hayes said. "She's denied the relationship with the staff in Congress and she acknowledged the campaign staffer, so sort of putting aside that as not great and problematic and maybe there's more of that, but it really seems like the bad guys won here, to oversimplify."

Hayes took a shot at the Daily Mail and RedState, the two media outlets which reported on Hill's alleged affairs with her campaign staffer and her legislative director.

Christina Greer, Hayes's guest and an associate professor at Fordham University, nodded her head in agreement and said she puts the blame on the "journalistic outlets." She then attempted to change her wording before Hayes interjected.

"If you can call it that, yeah" Hayes said.

"Yeah, exactly," Greer said. "This is a form of technological domestic violence in some ways, especially if this soon-to-be ex-husband is behind this."

After the first RedState report was published last week, Hill denied she was having a relationship with her legislative director, but she did admit to having a relationship with one of her female campaign staffers.

Days later, she announced that she would be resigning from Congress amid a House Ethics Committee investigation, saying she "believe[s] it is the best thing for my constituents, my community, and our country."

"This is what needs to happen so that the good people who supported me will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives who seem to happily provide a platform to a monster who is driving a smear campaign built around cyber exploitation," she said.

The Ethics Committee code of conduct states that "a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House who works under the supervision of the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, or who is an employee of a committee on which the Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner serves."