White Powder Mailed To Former Rep. Katie Hill's Office

LOS ANGELES, CA — A suspicious white powder was mailed to the field office of former Rep. Katie Hill Monday, prompting an evacuation and criminal investigation. Hill resigned Friday amid allegations of sexual misconduct after nude photos of her were published on a conservative website.

A suspicious package containing a white powder-like substance arrived at Hill's former field office in the 1000 block of Avenue M-14 in Palmdale Monday at about noon, according to the Sheriff's Information Bureau. Deputies evacuated the building, and one employee complained of irritation. However, preliminary tests showed the substance was non-hazardous, according to investigators. The incident prompted a massive police response. It also adds to the controversy surrounding Hill's departure. In resigning, Hill claimed to be the victim of an abusive husband and Republican operatives willing to use revenge porn to destroy her. Monday's incident is likely to inflame Hill's defenders, who contend she was bullied into resigning.

The sheriff's department, county fire department hazardous materials personnel and the FBI responded to the scene Monday. Some roads were closed in the area for about four hours, according to the sheriff's department. Further tests will be done to determine the source of the substance, a deputy said.

Hill, an openly bisexual Democrat, resigned her seat after nude photos of her were published and news emerged that she had a three-way relationship with her husband and a campaign staffer. She was also accused of having an affair with a member of her congressional staff, which she has denied. Before she quit, the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into whether she had an affair with her legislative director, which would be a violation of House rules passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

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Though she was a rising star in the Democratic party before the scandal broke, Hill was considered one of the most vulnerable of the freshman Democrats elected in the blue wave of 2018. The 25th district has long leaned to the right and was considered a prime target for national Republican Party looking regain some of the seats lost in 2018.

Hill, 32, has repeatedly blamed her husband for the public release of the photos. While speaking in Congress last Thursday, Hill decried a "misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked pictures, capitalized on my sexuality and enabled my abusive ex to continue that abuse, this time with the entire country watching."

She formally stepped down from her congressional seat on Friday.

The 25th Congressional District includes Santa Clarita Valley, and portions of the northern San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley and eastern Ventura County.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.