RadioOnFire.com - As allegations of sexual misconduct continue to rise in Congress, we have another resignation. Just hours after Democratic Sen. Al Franken stepped down amid allegations that he sexually harassed several women, Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night that he is stepping down as well because he made two female staffers "uncomfortable" by asking them about possibly bearing a child for him and his wife.
The House Ethics Committee announced earlier Thursday that it would investigate Franks over behavior that "constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment." Now that Franks has resigned, the probe is effectively over. He noted that he never engaged in sexual misconduct but will vacate his seat by Jan. 31.
“I have absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff,” Franks, 60, said in the statement.
“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,” Franks said. “I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress.”
"My wife and I have long struggled with infertility," he continued. "Due to my familiarity and experience with the process of surrogacy, I clearly became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others."
Franks claimed that his resignation will prevent a "sensationalized trial by media" if the probe continued.
"For the sake of the causes I deeply love, I must now step back from the battle I have spent over three decades fighting," he said. "I hope my resignation will remain distinct from the great gains we have made."
Franks is considered one of the most aggressive anti-abortion lawmakers in Congress. The highly conservative politician caused an uproar in 2013 while defending his Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which didn't allow exceptions for rape or incest, claiming the rate of pregnancy from rape is "very low."
Franks is also a huge supporter of President Donald Trump and has called on special counsel Robert Mueller to resign. He claims that recent indictments coming from Mueller's investigation of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election make it clear that it's "compromised."
Source: nydailynews.com
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