Arizona Rep. Trent Franks said he is resigning effective immediately after his wife was admitted to the hospital. The announcement on Friday comes after the Republican initially announced plans to step down in January. The abrupt announcement follows new reports that Frank allegedly repeatedly pressed a former aide to carry his child, offering her $5 million to act as a surrogate.
“Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C. due to an ongoing ailment,” Franks 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, December 8th, 2017.”
Franks first announced his resignation Thursday evening after learning of an investigation into his behavior by the House Ethics Committee. In his Thursday statement, Franks admitted that he’d discussed the possibility of surrogacy with two of his female staffers and unknowingly to him, the conversation “made certain individuals uncomfortable.” That statement said he was planning to vacate his seat on Jan. 31, 2018.
Franks elaborated on his and his wife’s difficulty with fertility and adoption through the years and wanted to have another child, in addition to their twins. But because of his “familiarity and experience with the process” he “clearly became insensitive” about how discussing surrogacy “might affect others.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News’ Shannon Bream and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
