Washington (CNN) Democratic Rep. Katie Hill of California, who announced her plans to resign from her congressional seat earlier this week, gave her final speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, where she apologized to her supporters but said the forces that led her to leave Congress are larger than she is.

"I will never shirk my responsibility for this sudden ending to my time here," Hill said, "but I have to say more because this is bigger than me."

She went on to say, "I am leaving now because of a double standard. I am leaving because I no longer want to be used as a bargaining chip. I am leaving because I didn't want to be peddled by papers and blogs and websites, used by shameless operatives for the dirtiest gutter politics that I've ever seen."

Earlier this month, a conservative blog released intimate photos of Hill alleging she and her husband had a separate relationship with an unnamed female campaign staffer. That report included three photos of the congresswoman, including an explicit photo.

"I am leaving because of a misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked pictures," Hill said Thursday, additionally calling out President Donald Trump for his treatment of women with no apparent consequence for his alleged actions.

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