--- title: Trent Franks Resigns After Talking Surrogacy With Staffers description: Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night he will resign from Congress at the end of January in light of the allegations canonical: https://time.com/5055442/republican-congress-trent-franks-resigns-sexual-harassment-surrogacy/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-08T00:21:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:34:32.153Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rep. Trent Franks Will Resign After Discussing Surrogacy With Female Staffers og:description: The Republican said he did not think he would get a fair Ethics Committee investigation og:url: https://time.com/5055442/republican-congress-trent-franks-resigns-sexual-harassment-surrogacy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3453f36a8c10f25/6988f451fb4eac13af894e1c/representative-trent-franks-sexual-harassment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Congress Announces Launch Of Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rep. Trent Franks Will Resign After Discussing Surrogacy With Female Staffers twitter:description: The Republican said he did not think he would get a fair Ethics Committee investigation twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3453f36a8c10f25/6988f451fb4eac13af894e1c/representative-trent-franks-sexual-harassment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Rep. Trent Franks Will Resign After Discussing Surrogacy With Female Staffers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=fecf4d29-20e7-4d09-99e6-7e941b67492c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Republican Rep. Trent Franks Will Resign After Discussing Surrogacy With Female Staffers [Watch (HLS stream): Republican Rep. Trent Franks Will Resign After Discussing Surrogacy With Female Staffers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ONB54aPT.m3u8) (1:09)  _Published 2017-12-08. Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night he will resign from Congress at the end of January after the House Ethics Committee said it would open an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment._ by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Dec 8, 2017 12:21 AM UTC Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night he will resign from Congress at the end of January after the House Ethics Committee said it would open an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Dec 8, 2017 12:21 AM UTC Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced Thursday night he will resign from Congress at the end of January after the House Ethics Committee [said](https://ethics.house.gov/press-release/statement-chairwoman-and-ranking-member-committee-ethics-regarding-representative-4) it would open an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. “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 in a statement](https://twt-media.washtimes.com/media/misc/2017/12/07/Trent%5FFranks%5FLeaving%5FCongress.pdf). “I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress.” Franks said in his statement that had never “physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff.” House Speaker Paul Ryan [said Thursday](https://www.speaker.gov/press-release/statement-office-speaker) night he accepted Franks’ resignation. In his statement, Ryan said he learned last Wednesday of “credible claims of misconduct” by Franks and approached the Republican representative about the allegations. Franks did not deny the allegations, according to Ryan’s office. Franks, who has served in Congress since 2002, is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and has often taken strong anti-abortion stands. In his resignation statement, he said he and his wife have struggled with infertility and used multiple surrogates in the past. He said he discussed these issues with two female subordinates. He also said that the current political climate of many women coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment led him to want to avoid an Ethics Committee investigation. “We are in an unusual moment in history – there is collective focus on a very important problem of justice and sexual impropriety. It is so important that we get this right for everyone, especially for victims,” Franks said. “But in the midst of this current cultural and media climate, I am deeply convinced I would be unable to complete a fair House Ethics investigation before distorted and sensationalized version of this story would put me, my family, my staff, and my noble colleagues in the House of Representatives through hyperbolized public excoriation.” ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5055442/republican-congress-trent-franks-resigns-sexual-harassment-surrogacy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5055442/republican-congress-trent-franks-resigns-sexual-harassment-surrogacy/"},"headline":"Republican Rep. 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