ANOTHER LAWMAKER IS STEPPING DOWN

Arizona’s Franks regrets that staffers felt uncomfortable.

Rep. Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican, said late Thursday he would resign his seat amid an ethics investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. Franks said the House Ethics Committee was investigating him for discussing surrogate motherhood with two female staff members.

WASHINGTON — Republi-can Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona said Thursday he is resigning next month after revealing that he discussed surrogacy with two female staffers.

The eight-term lawmaker, a staunch conservative and

fifierce opponent of abortion, said in a statement that he never physically intimidated, coerced or attempted to have any sexual contact with any member of his congressional staffffffffffff.

Instead, he says, the dispute resulted from a discussion of surrogacy. Franks and his wife have 3-year-old twins who were conceived through surrogacy.

Franks says he had become familiar with the surrogacy process in recent years, and “became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others.”

He said he regrets that his “discussion of this option and process in the workplace” with two female staffers made them feel uncomfortable.

In a statement, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said that when he learned of the allegations, which he consid- ered “serious and requiring action,” he told the lawmaker he should resign.

Franks said he would step down effective Jan .31,2018.

In a one- page statement late Thursday, the Ethics panel said its members were examining whether Franks “engaged in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment.” The statement provided no further detail and noted that while it was estab- lishing an ethics subcommittee, that didn’t mean that any

violations of law or House rules had occurred.

F ranks was seen being comforted in the House chamber by several other Republicans. They included Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, Alabama’s Robert Aderholt and fellow Arizonan Andy Biggs.

Asked for comment as he left the floor, Franks said, “I’ll let the statement speak for itself.”

Franks has been a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. He’ s a staunch social cons er vative who sponsored Housepassed legislation to make it a crime for any person to perform an abortion if the age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more.

Franks represents a district encompassing suburbs north and west of Phoenix. He serves on the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees.