Representative Katie Hill, Democrat of California, said on Sunday that she would resign after less than 10 months in office as she faced a House ethics investigation into allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a member of her congressional staff, a violation of House rules.
The freshman representative, who had been seen as a rising star in the caucus, said she made the decision “with a broken heart” just days after the House Ethics Committee announced it would investigate whether Ms. Hill had been intimately involved with a member of congressional staff. She had denied such a relationship, but had acknowledged a separate relationship with a member of her campaign team, which is not covered under House rules.
“For the mistakes made along the way and the people who have been hurt, I am so sorry, and I am learning,” Ms. Hill said in a statement. “I am not a perfect person and never pretended to be. It’s one of the things that my race so special.”
Stepping down, she said, was the “best thing for my constituents, my community and our country.” It was unclear when her resignation would go into effect.