An Anonymous 'Staffer' Is Slamming Former Rep. Katie Hill's New Biopic

From ELLE

Shortly after former California Rep. Katie Hill confirmed Elisabeth Moss is portraying her in a new film, someone claiming to be "Katie's former staff" reacted to the news with a 10-part Twitter thread from Hill's old congressional account.

The biopic is reportedly based on Hill’s new memoir She Will Rise recounting her life after a polyamorous affair with a campaign staff member and leaked nude photos led to her resignation less than a year into term.

The anonymous tweeter called Hill's story a "sensitive situation," that "requires more nuance" — specifically, they write in the thread, as it pertains to "workplace abuse and harassment."

"Katie took advantage of her subordinates," the unnamed person claimed. "She caused immense harm to the people who worked for her, many of whom were young women just beginning their careers in politics."

The unnamed poster referred to Hill as both a "victim and a perpetrator."

"Workplace abuse and harassment can take many different forms, but one thing is certain: it is never okay, even if your boss is a woman and/or a survivor," the person wrote, adding that "...while Katie is certainly the survivor of abuse, we are not confident that she sufficiently acted to end her own patterns of inappropriate and abusive behavior."

It is unclear who posted these tweets or how they got into Hill's account. The former congresswoman said she turned over control to the House Clerk after resigning. She has since reported the "hack," as she describes it, to Twitter.

"Thanks to all who let me know my government official twitter account was hacked," Hill said on her current Twitter account. "Control of my account was immediately handed back to the House Clerk when I resigned, including password changes and access restrictions. God knows who hacked it from there. Reported to @twitter".

Hill, once a rising political star in the Democratic party and a favorite of Nancy Pelosi, resigned last year amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that she engaged in two sexual relationships with staffers. The affairs (one she admits to, one she denies) came to light after intimate images were published online by a right-wing website without her consent.

Since her resignation, Hill has dedicated herself to fighting cyber exploitation. In February, she sat down with ELLE.com for an exclusive interview to talk about what she called a "mistake."

"[In politics], you are going to be exposed in ways that you can't even imagine, sometimes quite literally," Hill told ELLE.com. "The more powerful you are and the higher you rise, the more at risk you are, and that's just a reality. But if showing that what happened to me didn't destroy me can make it a little bit easier for somebody else to consider running, then I want that to be possible."

This year she started a PAC dedicated to mobilizing and supporting politically-inclined young women and released her book, which is being adapted as a streaming film by Blumhouse Television. Hill will reportedly serve as a producer on the project.

“I wrote She Will Rise to try to take back my story from those who have exploited and twisted it,” Hill said in a statement about the new film. “I also wanted to shine a light on the stories of women whose resilience and bravery gave me strength when I needed it most, and hopefully to provide inspiration to others. Having this larger platform to tell this story, working with the talented team at Blumhouse and Michael, and the incredible Elisabeth Moss as the lead, is more than I ever could have imagined — I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to collaborating on this project.”

Moss called it an "honor" to portray Hill in a statement to Deadline. "Her strength and work to amplify women’s voices is incredibly inspiring to me and her experiences could not be more important for us to magnify right now,” Moss told the publication. “As always, Jason and the Blumhouse team are such incredible partners and Lindsey and I are thrilled to make something powerful with them and Michael.”

Jason Blum, the founder of Blumhouse Productions, said in a statement that he "believes in Katie and her message of empowering women and breaking the system. And with Elisabeth and the force of what she brings on and off the camera, we hope this will be a powerful vehicle to inspire and for change.”

The anonymous poster claiming to be Hill's former staffer strongly disagrees with Moss and Blum.

"No one should have to put themselves in harm’s way for the public to understand a simple truth: Katie Hill is not a hero for women," they wrote in the Twitter thread. "We deserve heroes who embody our values even in the most difficult moments."

Hill said she has already addressed accusations of workplace harassment in her memoir and looks forward to "continuing to have conversations around these issues."

"... the content of the hacked tweets is something I have talked about at length in my book, in podcasts and in countless interviews regarding my decision to resign, as well as the constant work and reflection I’ve done since then," she said on Twitter. "I look forward to continuing to have conversations around these issues and using my platform to support women in any way possible."

You Might Also Like

• 10 Pairs of White Sneakers That Go With Everything

• 50 Surprising Things You Never Knew About 'Sex and the City'

• 20 Serums to Solve All Your Skincare Problems