California Congresswoman Katie Hill ADMITS to 'inappropriate' throuple affair with campaign staffer and apologizes as she vows to cooperate with ethics panel as they launch investigation

Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill dramatically confessed to having a three-way affair with a young campaign worker on Wednesday just as the House Ethics Committee announced it would investigate her.

In a letter to her California constituents, Hill, 32, said she knew the ‘throuple’ relationship was inappropriate.

‘But I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment,’ she wrote. ‘For that I apologize.’

She said the affair, in which Kenny Heslep, her husband of nine years, was also involved, occurred ‘during the final tumultuous years of my abusive marriage.’

But Hill, who is open about being bisexual, again denied having a separate affair with Graham Kelly, her male legislative director.

Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill, 32, who is bisexual, admitted to having an 'inappropriate' relationship with a young campaign worker on Wednesday, after her estranged husband Kenny Heslep alleged she was in a throuple with him and her young female staffer  

In a letter to her California constituents, Hill, 32, said she knew the 'throuple' relationship was inappropriate. 'But I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment,' she wrote. 'For that I apologize.'  Pictured: Hill with her staffers 

‘It pains me deeply that I have to send you this note at all,’ she wrote in the letter addressed to ‘family, friends, supporters and members of my community.’

‘But I want you to hear from me so that I can hopefully put to rest some of the gossip, innuendo and lies that have been told in recent days.

During the final tumultuous years of my abusive marriage, I became involved in a relationship with someone on my campaign. I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment. For that I apologize

 Katie Hill

‘During the final tumultuous years of my abusive marriage, I became involved in a relationship with someone on my campaign. I know that even a consensual relationship with a subordinate is inappropriate, but I still allowed it to happen despite my better judgment. For that I apologize.’

Hill said she wishes ‘nothing but the best’ for the campaign worker, whom she did not identify.

DailyMail.com knows the identity of the woman, who is now 24, but is not revealing it as she may be the victim of sexual abuse.

When approached on Tuesday at her home in Hill’s constituency, the woman said: ‘No comment, please leave. Leave now.’

Hill’s letter came within 10 minutes of the House Ethics Committee announcing it would open an investigation into her conduct. ‘I am fully and proactively cooperating with the Ethics Committee,’ she said.

Committee chairman, Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida and vice-chairman Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant of Texas said in a statement: ‘The committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Katie Hill may have engaged in a sexual relationship with an individual on her congressional staff, in violation of House Rule XXIII, clause 18 (a).

Hill was also accused of having a separate affair with her male legislative affairs officer, Graham Kelly (pictured together)

According to text messages seen by DailyMail.com, Hill's relationship with Kelly (pictured together) was the final straw for Heslep, as he said he could accept his wife having a relationship with a woman, but not with another man

‘The committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the committee.’

Hill also said she has asked Capitol police to investigate the leaking of a photograph of her totally naked combing the fully clothed campaign worker’s hair. ‘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.

‘This smear campaign will not get in the way of the work I am doing every day to move our district and our country forward,’ Hill wrote.

‘I am truly grateful for the outpouring of support I have received from colleagues and constituents alike, and I know we will get through this together.’

The bombshell that now threatens Hill’s promising political career was originally reported by the Conservative website RedState on Friday. It said the ‘throuple’ relationship began when the campaign worker, was just 22.

It also claimed Hill had had the affair with Kelly that she has denied. Kelly did not return DailyMail.com’s calls.

In a statement to DailyMail.com Tuesday, Hill said: ‘The fact is I am going through a divorce from an abusive husband who seems determined to humiliate me.

‘I am disgusted that my opponents would seek to exploit a private matter for political gain,’ she added, without saying who she considered were her opponents.

‘This coordinated effort to destroy me and people close to me is despicable and will not succeed,’ she pledged. ‘I, like many women who have faced attacks like this before, am stronger than those who want me to be afraid.’

Hill, who won a previously staunch Republican seat north and east of Los Angeles — that includes the Ronald Reagan library — in the blue wave that swept much of California.

She is a vice chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, whose chairman Elijah Cummings died last week.

RedState reported that both Hill and her husband Heslep were involved with the female campaign worker. It said the three went on several vacations together, including a trip to Alaska where the naked picture of Hill was taken. The report also included pictures of Hill kissing the young women.

Hill had used her love for Heslep to win her election, when she beat incumbent Republican Steve Knight by nine points. She gushed: 'Happy anniversary to the love of my life, my partner, and my best friend'

In all pictures the young woman’s face was blurred out to keep her identity secret.

DailyMail.com’s attempts to contact Heslep, 36, have not been successful.

RedState said both the woman and Hill’s husband noticed a change in her demeanor after she took her seat in Congress in January, and by May she broke off her relationships with both of them, saying she wanted to focus on her ‘important’ work in Washington.

Texts provided to the site showed Hill telling the woman: ‘I still care about you.’ The staffer replied: ‘Well I still care about you, but I think I need a little more time to “move on” before we can be friends.’

She added: ‘It’s not that I hate you, it’s just that it hurts too much to think about you at this point in time.’

The site also obtained texts between the woman and Heslep sent this June, in which Heslep seems to admit the ‘throuple’ relationship had been toxic.

He wrote: 'It has been weighing very, very heavily on me lately. Part of my mind keeps trying to justify it because of katies [sic] abuse.

That she created the ''s**t rolls downhill'' situation. But that is no excuse whatsoever for what I did. So again, I'm sorry.'

The staffer replies: 'It was a dark time and you treated me really poorly but I also stayed which I have to own.'

But she admits she was 'ready to put together' a future with both Hill and Heslep, telling him: 'Think of how toxic our relationship was? And I was still ready to put together something real. To build a future on that absolutely abysmal foundation.'

In another text exchange between the young staffer and Heslep she said she feared losing her future in politics and friends as well as the relationship.

She wrote: 'Idk, I was getting ready and I was thinking about how much Katie liked to watch me [reference to a hobby]…It's ok, she can't take [this] from me. She can ruin politics, take all my friends, and isolate me, but she can't have [this].'

In a message sent to Hill from the female staffer, she voices concern that Hill would treat her poorly, based on how she witnessed Hill treating Heslep.

She wrote: 'Babe I had a really unpleasant realization yesterday... I am terrified of pushing back against you or upsetting you. I have seen how you treat Kenny and I think that if I cause any issues, even if I am very worried about how you are acting that very quickly you will decide you don't want in your life.

'I hope I am wrong but that's not really a good way for a partnership to be. I hope you know that if I am telling you something you don't want to hear it's because it's really important and not just to make your life more difficult. '

Heslep filed for divorce on July 10 in Los Angeles, stating the couple, who have no children, had separated on July 5. He cited ‘irreconcilable differences.’

Hill agreed the marriage had broken down, although she said they had split on June 7 — less than a week before they were due to celebrate their ninth anniversary.

Heslep filed for divorce on July 10 in Los Angeles, stating the couple, who have no children, had separated on July 5. He cited 'irreconcilable differences' 

Heslep, who described himself as a househusband who had not had a paying job since 2014 asked for ‘reasonable spousal support and $10,700 in attorney’s fees. Hill said both should pay their own way.

According to the text messages, Heslep had been told that Hill was having an affair with Kelly, 31.

In a text to videographer Jeff Bomberger who had helped Hill in her campaign, Heslep said he could accept her having a relationship with a woman, but not with another man.

Although Hill is now claiming the ‘last few years’ of her marriage were abusive and tumultuous, she told a different tale during her election campaign in which she beat incumbent Republican Steve Knight by nine points.

Her campaign’s Facebook page contained several pictures of him, but they have been pulled in recent days.

On June 12, 2017 — the couple’s seventh wedding anniversary — she showed a picture of her kissing him on the cheek , writing to her supporters: ‘Today, I want to introduce you to the person who makes this campaign possible: my husband Kenny.

‘Running for office isn’t easy, particularly when you’re still working full time. Kenny has supported me every step of the way — from laundry and lunches to being my inspiration when things get hard. I could not do this without him.’

That September she called him ‘wonderful and supportive and thanked him for making fundraising calls for her.

The following June, she gushed: ‘Happy anniversary to the love of my life, my partner, and my best friend.’

She added: It’s crazy to believe we’ve been in each other’s lives for fourteen years and married for eight. I don’t think either of us could have ever guessed where we would be now, but I know I wouldn’t be here without you.

‘Your love and support get me through the toughest challenges life throw at us.’

Two months before the election, she wrote: ‘I am able to throw my all into this race because my husband, Kenny, is the toughest backbone anyone could ask for. He is at my side on my best days and on my worst, or or off the trail.

‘Kenny, you are my best friend and the love of my life,’ she wrote about the man she now calls ‘abusive,’ before adding: ‘I am so proud of the life we’ve built together and I can’t wait to see what we do next.’

Hill has described herself as bisexual all her adult life. She told the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate: ‘I’ve been out as bi since I was a teenager, right after high school,’ saying it was part of being an ‘honest, transparent politician.’

Before running for Congress she was executive director of a group called People Assisting the Homeless. Her husband’s most recent job was regional manager for the same group.