Posted on 12/07/2017 6:06:28 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
Rep. Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican who is among the most conservative members of the House, said he would resign his seat after House officials learned that he had asked two female employees to bear his children as surrogates.
Franks’s announcement came as the House Ethics Committee said it would create a special subcommittee to investigate Franks for conduct “that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment.”
His resignation, which Franks said is effective Jan. 31, will end the ethics investigation........
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“When our politicians are spending their time asking their staff to be a sperm recipient,...”
When FReepers are so abysmally ignorant of what they are talking about; it’s way past time for them to go.
Surrogacy does not involve sexual relations between the surrogate and the married husband. Surrogacy is achieved by implantation subsequent to in vitro fertilization.
IOW, THIS IS NOT AT ALL ABOUT SEX.
GET IT, YET?
In August 2008, a donor egg and surrogate were used to give birth to their twins, Joshua Lane and Emily Grace.
Of course they worked for him, but people tend to ask people they know and trust when it comes to surrogacy. Should he have asked them? No, I don’t think so. However, this doesn’t rise to the level of sexual harassment...unless he harassed them/pressured them or said he wanted to do it the old fashioned way (I don’t think that’s it as he and his wife used a surrogate for another pregnancy done by in vitro). If he harassed them, then he should go, but merely asking/discussing, is not worthy of resignation but rather an apology.
What does that have to do with in vitro surrogacy?
Its probably an alinsky play. Make the enemy live up to their own standards. That said, he seems to be a reasonably decent person with some faults. All the better that he leave the cesspit and do something better woth his life.
I don’t understand why we take good people and throw them into the mire and then act all shocked when they don’t emerge from it as saints. Too many fine people are corrupted and ruined by partisan politics.
Politics is a scam and we’re suckers for playing.
What is unusual? That he asked and did not just stick his hands down their pants or that it happened in DC?
Yes, seriously. I agree the current workplace climate shouldn’t be the risk-laden place that it is, but the best way to avoid being unfairly targeted for an accusation is to keep interactions as businesslike as possible.
“but isn’t kissing a game of chance anyway? You think someone wants to be kissed and you go for it, but you were wrong. Ok, it’s just a missed kiss.”
Exactly. If I made harassment accusations against everyone who TRIED to kiss me starting in the ‘60s it could get interesting. This whole thing going on almost makes me feel sorry for Al Franken. If the ‘Rats truly cared about harassment that would be one thing, but they don’t. Just one step in their plan to thwart Moore and take dowm Trump.
It would be nice if they spent this much time and effort doing their actual job.
Franks and his wife have been married for 27 years...When did the surrogacy inquiries take place?
Since 1980. I can’t add. That’s 37 years. What the heck...
Great plan. He probably had a vasectomy and would have to try and try and try again to get em pregnant.
I have no problem with this.
What he did is grossly inappropriate.
Asking a staffer to serve as a birth surrogate is way outside their job duties. Franks was in a position of absolute authority over them, and the implication that he was able to put employment pressure on them to agree to his request is inescapable.
Groping staffers in the coat closet would have been far less of a violation.
Franks did the right thing, here by resigning.
was his wife to provide the fertilized eggs for implant?
FWIW, this is so dang weird, I’m thinking that there had to be way more than this going on. And he copped to this to get out of having the rest of his dirty laundry aired.
c) The Wicked Witch after she ate the 8th dwarf “Faggy” and stole his hat.
Here is the line.
If he asked these subordinates to be surrogates, he needs to go.
If he discussed surrogacy in general terms, that is acceptable.
So, it is a question of fact. Did he or did he not ask the women to be surrogates?
The staffer who says it was discussed in general terms contradicts other information and may not be privy to private discussions.
Just because this factoid is favorable does not mean it should be accepted at face value. Given that Franks resigned, I suspect it was more than a general conversation.
That's what I heard on the radio - certainly very different than the prurient slant being peddled on the airwaves by the major drive-by media.
That being said, such a topic is NOT really something one should discuss in the office. There used to be something called propriety, and a gentleman would know what to say and what not to say in front of his workers.
Given the "anything goes" culture in society today and especially in the halls of Congress at large, it's not surprising that some of our best public servants may fall prey to a loss of common sense. Very sad for Franks - a stupid mistake; he should have known better.
“Another former staffer with knowledge of the situation interviewed on Carlson said she thought it was odd but did not think it was anywhere near “harassment.” She thought he should not have resigned. She said Franks and his wife were having problems having kids and she thought he only discussed the possibility of surrogacy in general terms, did not specifically ask them to do it.”
I can’t help but think there has to be more to it than this. Has anyone else noticed the strange resignations of several “so called” conservatives? I was amazed when Jason Chaffetz abruptly resigned. I was surprised when Jeff Flake announced he isn’t running for re-election. Glad he isn’t but just surprised that he announced he is quitting so soon.
I’m sure that is true.
But that is a horrible abuse of power for a boss to ask his female subordinates to bear his and his wife’s children, no matter how you try to defend it.
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