As Twitchy reported earlier, Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona was expected to resign from Congress, and the reason why is something we and most of Twitter certainly didn’t expect.
BREAKING: Franks has come under investigation for asking two female staffers about becoming a surrogate for his child. Story TK pic.twitter.com/9kczdGhlQ6
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 7, 2017
Apparently, the Ethics Committee is reviewing Franks’ “discussion of surrogacy with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable.”
OK, we joke about liberals always whining that we’re literally living in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but that actually gets uncomfortably close.
Yikes. https://t.co/6DvXt0p2dH
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) December 7, 2017
This is not what I was expecting. https://t.co/dAlhba4f7G
— Bill Conotocarious Pieper (@WilliamPieper) December 7, 2017
Did not have that selected in the sexual misconduct pool https://t.co/3gEQzcw3pi
— ? (@adrianeisoverit) December 7, 2017
I definitely did not see this coming. Holy cow. https://t.co/5YW6abNy98
— Andrew Damitio ?️?? (@andrewdamitio) December 7, 2017
I don’t even know how to process this. https://t.co/YM0OVsot0x
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) December 7, 2017
Surrogate? Is that a euphemism? https://t.co/XTYN1ZeVfP
— David Bekhor (@DavidBekhor) December 7, 2017
"Surrogacy" and "previous" subordinates.
I'm guessing the proposal was not for artificial insemination, and that their becoming "previous" subordinates was not coincidental. https://t.co/mWiIgdw21a
— Fred N. (@LesserFrederick) December 7, 2017
Turkey-baster surrogacy or all-natural surrogacy? https://t.co/VRdRTV7IX5
— jon gabriel (@exjon) December 7, 2017
oh you just know this is the kind of "surrogacy" where he asked if they could just skip IVF and do it the old fashioned way https://t.co/39f8CNuqDx
— Cornelius Bouknight (@cornrollio) December 7, 2017
Ummm… did he ask to impregnate them or ask if they would be surrogates? There's a difference. https://t.co/Wit5zeOm4w
— Elisha (@ElishaKrauss) December 7, 2017
The PC police are at it again. How could anyone misconstrue "let me put a baby in you" as sexual harassment? https://t.co/cmbMw1tb5O
— Federalist PitchBot (@FederalistPitch) December 7, 2017
Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? https://t.co/4ardk7TRFP
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) December 7, 2017
uhhhh don’t ask your employees to carry your baby https://t.co/K1kdkjzbSt
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 7, 2017
BREAKING: MY SKIN HAS CRAWLED ENTIRELY OFF OF MY BODY AND TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE https://t.co/vPQWznDaLy
— andrea christmasgrimes is here (@andreagrimes) December 7, 2017
You can’t make this stuff up. https://t.co/FsznNGN21E
— USMCDoOrDie (@usmcdoordie) December 7, 2017
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) December 7, 2017
“So hey, will you carry my child? I’ll pay you overtime.” Wow. https://t.co/pOIy3fuWv2
— Lauren?️? | read pinned until 12/15 (@CakeBlankett) December 7, 2017
Oh FFS. You asked your staffers to bear your children? Ya think that might have caused an issue? CC: @RBPundit https://t.co/1exvNfwYT0
— FlintTownProud (@laddydogH) December 7, 2017
— L (@LilMissRightie) December 7, 2017
Oh. My. God. https://t.co/TWoko1Vtos
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) December 7, 2017
Well … that’s a new one https://t.co/FOF34Bn1QM
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) December 7, 2017
Oh, my. I didn't expect to see the phrase "my discussion of surrogacy" in his eventual statement.
He's resigning effective Jan. 31, 2018, according to the statement. https://t.co/xOWLCmwo8C
— Steven Shepard (@POLITICO_Steve) December 7, 2017
Trent's statement makes it sound like he just talked about the fact that one of his kids was born to a surrogate, but @kyledcheney reports that he actually ASKED 2 of his employees to be surrogates for him and his wife. https://t.co/PxLi3bRWSo
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) December 7, 2017
I feel like there has to be more to it than this? https://t.co/peYDNhpVRP
— Emma Dumain (@Emma_Dumain) December 7, 2017
I guarantee you that "conversing about surrogacy options" is not why he's quitting. https://t.co/fBwzVBqRsy
— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) December 7, 2017
There has got to be more if he’s copping to this. https://t.co/8us5h8oHKl
— Lisa McIntire (@LisaMcIntire) December 7, 2017
This seems solid. I'm sure no other shoes will drop. #IndictTrump https://t.co/nE0SLcDjfk
— Mark Banker (@themarkbanker) December 7, 2017
Franks says he’ll be leaving Congress as of Jan. 31, 2018.
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Update:
Minutes after news breaks that @RepTrentFranks is resigning, House Ethics Committee announces it will investigate him to determine if he engaged in “conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment” pic.twitter.com/XiCdltoGFV
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 7, 2017
Speaker Ryan statement on Rep Trent Franks –> pic.twitter.com/RV45gCajaQ
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) December 7, 2017
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Related:
REPORT: GOP Rep. Trent Franks expected to resign
