The Arizona Republican is a vocal social conservative who authored numerous anti-abortion bills.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) announced Thursday that he would resign from office as of Jan. 31, 2018, after discussing surrogacy issues with female staffers.
“I have recently learned that the Ethics Committee is reviewing an inquiry regarding my discussion of surrogacy with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable,” he said in a statement. “I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress.”
Franks’ announcement shocked Capitol Hill. He has been a vocal social conservative since being elected to Congress in 2002, and has authored numerous anti-abortion bills. He is married, with twin children.
In a statement, Speaker Paul Ryan’s office said Thursday that the speaker learned of “credible claims of misconduct” against Franks in the middle of last week.
“The next day, the speaker presented Rep. Franks with the allegations, which he did not deny,” according to Ryan’s office. “The speaker told Rep. Franks that he intended to refer the allegations directly to the House Ethics Committee and told him that he should resign from Congress. The allegations were filed with the Ethics Committee last Friday. And today, the speaker accepted a letter of resignation.”
Franks is the third lawmaker to announce plans to resign this week as the furor over sexual misconduct and harassment sweeps Capitol Hill. He will be the first Republican to vacate his post amid the growing scandal.
In a lengthy statement, Franks said he wanted to take “full and personal responsibility for the ways I have broached a topic that, unbeknownst to me until very recently, made certain individuals uncomfortable.” He said he and his wife had “long struggled with infertility” and gone through three miscarriages. They tried to adopt children multiple times, only to have the birth mothers renege before giving birth.
He added: “A wonderful and loving lady, to whom we will be forever grateful, acted as a gestational surrogate for our twins and was able to carry them successfully to live birth. The process by which they were conceived was a pro-life approach that did not discard or throw away any embryos. My son and daughter are unspeakable gifts of God that have brought us our greatest earthly happiness in the 37 years we have been married.”
Another attempted surrogate pregnancy, about three years later, also resulted in a miscarriage, he said. In their attempt to have a sibling for their twins, he said, he “became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others.”
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Rep. Trent Franks to resign after discussing surrogacy with female staffers https://t.co/JbECaCkMFz pic.twitter.com/FsYnOqyDC1
— POLITICO (@politico) December 8, 2017
‘In their attempt to have a sibling for their twins, he said, he “became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others.”
There must be more to this if Ryan asked him to resign.
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