WASHINGTON — Corpus Christi Republican Blake Farenthold abruptly resigned from Congress Friday afternoon, less than four months after dropping re-election plans under siege for crude and verbally abusive office behavior.

In an emotional five-minute video on Dec. 14, Farenthold apologized for the lack of professionalism on his staff, and for his own fits of rage with aides.

He made no mention on Friday of any of the allegations that ended his congressional career, and made no apologies for using $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment suit.

He promised to repay those funds four months ago, but has not done so.

The former conservative radio host and four-term lawmaker said in December that he had "no idea how to run a congressional office" when he got elected and as a result, "I allowed a workplace culture to take root in my office that was too permissive and decidedly unprofessional. It accommodated destructive gossip, offhand comments, off-color jokes and behavior that in general was less than professional."

House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly had prodded Farenthold to give up his re-election plan.

Farenthold, 56, won his seat in 2010 as part of the nationwide tea party wave, defeating a 28-year Democratic incumbent by a few hundred votes. He spent weeks last fall trying to survive the scandal, even as a wave of housecleaning hit politicians, media moguls and celebrities facing allegations of harassment or even assault.

Farenthold acknowledged that he had engaged in lewd conversations with staff, and tolerated such talk among aides. He maintained his innocence in the claim that led to a settlement, insisting that accuser Lauren Greene had been fired for poor performance.

Pressure to repay settlement money

But pressure built fast for him to give up his seat after the size of the settlement, and the use of taxpayer funds, became public.

"I don't know what prompted this particular time for his resignation," Mike Bergsma, the Nueces County GOP chairman, said Friday night.

"He served the district well [but] there's annoyance. He's my friend and I'm saddened by all this stuff that's gone on," Bergsma added. "Some of this stuff he just couldn't explain, like having money from the taxpayer to settle with the woman in the lawsuit."

Last month, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., pressed Ryan to hold Farenthold to his promise to repay the settlement. After the congressman resigned, the head of the House Republicans' campaign arm also called on him to uphold the promise.

"I hope Blake is true to his word and pays back the $84,000 of taxpayer money he used as a settlement. As I have said repeatedly, Congress must hold ourselves to a higher standard and regain the trust of the American people," Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a prepared statement.

A Farenthold spokeswoman did not respond to messages seeking an explanation for Farenthold's failure to repay the funds as promised.

Farenthold's Twitter account was deleted Friday afternoon. His office provided no explanation.

Election possibilities

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones noted that under state law, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott would have to set an emergency election to prevent the seat from remaining vacant until January, when the winner of the November election is sworn in.

Too late to be held on May Uniform election date.

Either @GovAbbott declares it an emergency or #TX27 will remain unrepresented until end of the year. But based on my conversations with #CD27 residents, having no Rep. wouldn't be much different from the past 7 yrs. #txlege https://t.co/4FPIG7NCO8 — Mark P. Jones (@MarkPJonesTX) April 6, 2018

The resignation took effect at 5 p.m. on Friday — just over an hour after Farenthold announced the move.

Republicans will pick a nominee in a primary runoff on May 22. Bech Bruun, the former Texas Water Board Commission chairman, narrowly edged former Victoria County GOP Chairman Michael Cloud in a six-way primary.

Democrat Roy Barrera, a federal court security guard, took 41 percent in a four-way March primary. In the runoff, he faces a former congressional aide, Eric Holguin, who drew 23 percent.

The impact of the resignation wasn't immediately clear. If Abbott calls a special election, the winner could have an edge in November. But that could be risky for Republicans, given the hasty exit by Farenthold.

"The district's so Republican and these two guys that are running are untainted by Blake. They're not involved with him at all," Bergsma said. "It can't help, but I don't think it's going to be that material."

The Democrats are vastly outgunned on campaign cash. Bruun raised $272,000 through mid-February, four times Cloud's haul. Barrera reported no campaign donations, while Holguin brought in $28,000.

Constituent service goes on when a congressman resigns or dies in office, with staff reporting to the Clerk of the House. But policy advocacy comes to a halt, and the 27th District was among those hit by Hurricane Harvey.

Farenthold's statement:

Since being elected to Congress in 2010, I've worked to make government more efficient and responsive, cut government spending, repeal Obamacare, protect life and reduce the debt. Locally, I've worked tirelessly to get federal funding for the widening and deepening project at the Port of Corpus Christi and help our other area ports and military facilities. I've also been extremely successful in working with our communities on recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Most importantly, I've been able to help countless people, especially veterans with their problems with the federal government.

While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it's time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve.

Therefore, I sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott today resigning from the House of Representatives effective at 5:00 p.m. today, April 6, 2018.

It's been an honor and privilege to serve the constituents of Texas' 27th Congressional District. I would like to thank my staff both in Washington and Texas for all of their hard work on behalf of our constituents. I would also like to thank my family for their unwavering support and most importantly the people that elected me.

Leaving my service in the House, I'm able to look back at the entirety of my career in public office and say that it was well worthwhile.

Constituent services by the Congressman's Red Tape Cutters, academy nominations and other services will continue under the supervision of the Clerk of the House.

Farenthold also posted a video in which he reads the statement.

Texas is seeing enormous turnover in its congressional delegation this year.

Out of 36 House members, eight announced plans to retire in the last few months. Farenthold is the first to actually leave office.

On the GOP side, Rep. Joe Barton of Ennis, the longest-serving Texan in Congress, quit after lewd text messages and images he exchanged with a mistress surfaced. Two chairman quit in the face of term limits as committee leaders: Financial Services Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Dallas and Science chairman Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio. Rep. Sam Johnson of Plano, 87, was the first to announce plans to exit after 2018. Rep. Ted Poe of Humble also decided to retire.

Two Democrats are leaving: El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke is giving up his seat to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz, and Houston Rep. Gene Green is retiring.