House Democrats’ campaign arm moves to defend its embattled chief of staff, who was outed as an online pornographer, after he was fired by his employer Monday.
The Hill first reported that Keith Schiller was fired by David Campos, the House Democratic Caucus Committee chairman.
Schiller was forced out of his job in May after it was discovered he was secretly posting nude photos of his former girlfriend on Tumblr, where he was also known to post a porn blog.
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Schiller denied the allegations, saying that he was sharing the photos to help his ex-girlfriend overcome her mental health issues.
Schiller, a senior adviser to House Democrats, did not offer any comment on the controversy.
However, a source told The Hill that Campos’ decision to fire Schiller was likely based on the fact that he was “unable to defend himself.” He was also accused by multiple people of hypocrisy after his use of the word “pussy” on Instagram after his wife’s recent pregnancy.
“Campos felt like he had no choice but to get rid of Schiller, who he believes has failed to defend himself,” the source told The Hill.
The source added that Schiller was “an open book with respect to other issues” and “had never had any issues” with his employer.
Schiller and Campos have been friends since the House party’s transition into the minority in 2011, when members voted not to hold formal impeachment hearings against President Obama.
“They were just friends who happened to be having the same issues at the same time,” the source said.
The Hill has reached out to Schiller’s attorney, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The sexual misconduct allegations against Schiller come just weeks after several high-profile Democratic lawmakers made headlines for their roles in sex scandals within their party.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced last week that he was resigning. His resignation came after a New