Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., was first elected in 2002. | Cliff Owen/AP Photo Rep. Trent Franks to resign after discussing surrogacy with female staffers 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.”

“We are in an unusual moment in history — there is collective focus on a very important problem of justice and sexual impropriety,” he said. “It is so important that we get this right for everyone, especially for victims. But in the midst of this current cultural and media climate, I am deeply convinced I would be unable to complete a fair House Ethics investigation before distorted and sensationalized versions of this story would put me, my family, my staff, and my noble colleagues in the House of Representatives through hyperbolized public excoriation.

“Rather than allow a sensationalized trial by media damage those things I love most, this morning I notified House leadership that I will be leaving Congress as of Jan. 31, 2018.”

Rebecca Heinrichs, a former adviser to Franks, told Fox News on Thursday that while Franks' behavior was "weird" and that she hoped the women he approached regarding surrogacy left his office, she didn't believe the behavior warranted his resignation.

Heinrichs cast Franks' alleged conversations with female staffers regarding surrogacy as part of his regard for "the dignity of life" as a pro-life member of Congress.

"Absolutely not," she told Carlson when asked if the claims were appropriate grounds for resignation.

She distinguished Franks' behavior from other politicians accused of "legitimate sexual abuse."

"Is it weird? Yeah, I think it's weird. Might it make somebody uncomfortable? Sure. ... But are those grounds now for accusing the congressman of something so severe, you know, especially in this, just, whirlwind of accusations of legitimate sexual abuse?" she said.

Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, resigned Tuesday after 52 years in office following reports that he had paid off a former staffer who alleged he sexually harassed her. Sen. Al Franken announced on Thursday he would resign in the coming weeks after allegations he groped or forcibly kissed seven women.

Before coming to Washington, Franks, a 60-year-old former business owner, served one term in the Arizona House of Representatives in the mid-1980s. He also ran the Family Research Institute and worked as the director of the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children.

The surprise resignation will prompt a special election in Franks’ red-tinted 8th District in the western suburbs of Phoenix, which President Donald Trump carried by 21 points in 2016.

Several names have already been floated by local Republican operatives as potential special-election candidates, including former Gov. Jan Brewer, Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman, Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat, state Sen. Debbie Lesko and state Sen. Kimberly Yee.

Franks had already drawn a Democratic opponent, Hiral Tipirneni, who raised more than $165,000 during the third quarter of 2017 — more than the incumbent.

“It’s a safe Republican district on paper, but what type of Republican that emerges here — is it more of a pro-business establishment type or is it a deep red Freedom Caucus person? — is still yet to be determined,” said Chip Scutari, a Republican consultant based in Arizona.