(Phoenix, AZ) Arizona Republican Congressman Trent Franks officially resigned today. He says his wife was admitted to a hospital due to an "ongoing ailment" and he is resigning immediately. Yesterday Franks said he would step down at the end of January after he learned he was being investigated by the house ethics committee. His exit today effectively ends that investigation.
The investigation was to focus on complaints made by some of Frank's female former staffers. Sources say Franks approached two female staffers about acting as a potential surrogate for him and his wife, who have had fertility problems. But Politico reports the aides were concerned that Franks was asking to have sexual relations with them. Politico also reports a former staffer alleged that Franks tried to persuade a female aide that they were in love by having her read an article that described how a person knows they’re in love with someone. And another woman believed she was the subject of retribution after rebuffing Franks.