Jennifer Van Laar, the author behind articles that feature nude photographs of former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA), had previously worked for one of Hill's Republican opponents. According to Mediaite, Van Laar claimed in an August 5 email that she was a campaign employee of Suzette Valladares—who announced her intention to run against Hill earlier this year but dropped out last month to join a race for the Santa Clarita assembly. “Yes, I’m coming on as her campaign manager,” she reportedly wrote in an email using an official email address for Valladares' campaign. Van Laar also reportedly put out positive press about ex-Rep. Steve Knight throughout his race against Hill in 2018, which he lost. Politico reports that Van Laar also endorsed both Knight and a man named Mike Garcia to take Hill's open seat in California's 25th congressional district. “(Knight) has integrity, cares about the individual, and is a policy wonk,” she wrote in a tweet. “I'd be #TeamKnight again in a heartbeat.”

The articles that featured the nude photos, published on RedState.com and The Daily Mail, were authored by Van Laar. She is also deputy managing editor at RedState.com. The stories alleged that Hill had an affair with a campaign staffer and a Congressional staffer. While Hill admitted to being in a relationship with her campaign staffer, she denied having any relationship with anyone in her Congressional office. She has since resigned, blaming the scandal on her divorce and condemning the nude photos as  “revenge porn.”