Former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill has accused the right-wing media and Republican opponents of exacerbating the alleged abuse of her husband via a “horrible smear campaign”.

In an explosive video message posted hours after Hill announced her resignation from Congress, the Californian politician called out the “brutality” of “hateful right-wing operatives” in orchestrating her downfall.

Hill stepped down yesterday, after a string of damaging stories regarding her allegedly improper relationships with staffers were published by the far-right blog Red State and The Daily Mail. The claims were accompanied by nude photos of the congresswoman, published without her consent, which were quickly picked by the Representative’s political rivals on Twitter.

In her resignation letter, Hill accused her estranged husband Kenny Heslep of playing a pivotal role in the events of recent weeks. She said private photos were “weaponised” against her, as her political opponents worked to exploit the fact that she is divorcing “an abusive husband who seems determined to try to humiliate me”.

Katie Hill says right-wing media is “enabling and perpetuating” her husband's abuse