Franks to resign immediately as wife hospitalized

WASHINGTON—Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., announced Friday afternoon he would resign immediately, nearly eight weeks earlier than planned, citing his wife’s health. “Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C., due to an ongoing ailment,” he said in a statement. “After discussing options with my family, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today.” Franks surprised his colleagues Thursday when he announced he would leave Congress on Jan. 31 amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into harassment claims from two female members of his staff. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said he received a briefing on “credible claims of misconduct” last week and asked Franks to step down. Franks explained the misconduct referred to conversations he had with staff members about surrogate motherhood. “I clearly became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others,” he said Thursday. According to an Associated Press report, one of Franks’ former female staff members claims he offered her $5 million to carry a child for him and his wife. House GOP sources told Politico that the two female staff members were concerned Franks wanted to have sexual intercourse with them to impregnate them instead of having them undergo in vitro fertilization. Franks, 60, and his wife had twins through surrogacy and have tried unsuccessfully to find a surrogate for a third child. He claims he never initiated any physical contact with his employees and denied the latest accusations through a spokesman, Politico reported.