Three Uncomfortable Truths Of The Katie Hill Scandal

Making sense of a complicated situation.

As I wrote in Washington Monthly, if ever there was a scandal that was tailor-made for conflicting views or nuanced opinions, Katie Hill’s was it. While that piece focused on the hypocrisy in how extreme partisans responded to the scandal, now I want to focus on the conflicting truths at the core of the controversy.

The more I’ve seen people’s reactions to Hill’s final floor speech, the more it became clear that many people who have followed the scandal are gripped by mixed feelings-sympathy, disappointment, anger, or frustration. That’s okay, because human affairs are complicated. And since reading other people’s views helps me clarify my thoughts, I’d like to lay out what I see as three complicated truths about the scandal, with the hope of helping others work through their thoughts.

Hill is a victim who also deserves blame.

Revenge porn-the practice of an ex-lover leaking intimate photos or videos of someone without their consent-is disgusting. It is illegal in many states and it should be illegal everywhere. Nobody should be subjected to it and the media outlets that ran the leaked photos of Hill are unprofessional and irresponsible. In this thread of the scandal, Hill is undeniably a victim, and nobody…