Rep. Trent Franks reportedly offered former aide $5M to carry his child
Dec 8, 2017, 1:56 PM | Updated: 3:52 pm
U.S. Rep. Trent Franks. (AP File Photo)
(AP File Photo)
PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. Trent Franks reportedly offered his former aide $5 million to carry his child, the Associated Press reported.
BREAKING: AP Exclusive: Former aide says GOP Rep. Trent Franks offered her $5 million to carry his child.
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 8, 2017
The allegation came shortly after Franks announced that he would resign effective immediately and one day after he announced he was resigning from Congress after he discussed surrogacy with at least two staffers.
The former staffer said the congressman asked at least four times if she’d be willing to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. Franks, in his statement announcing his resignation, said he and his wife have struggled with infertility.
“During my time there, I was asked a few times to look over a `contract’ to carry his child, and if I would conceive his child, I would be given $5 million,” she said, adding that she refused to look over the contract and has never seen a copy.
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The woman said the requests shocked her, and made her feel afraid that if she didn’t agree, she would face professional consequences. She said she spoke to another aide in the office, who had also been approached about surrogacy.
The aide cited the surrogacy requests as “a main reason” for leaving the office, adding that she felt retaliated against after turning down the congressman, ignored by Franks and not given many assignments.
A spokesman for Franks would not comment on whether the congressman offered aides money in exchange to act as surrogates.
On Friday, Politico reported that the aides were “concerned that Franks was asking to have sexual relations with them.”
Franks also allegedly “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.”
An aide for the Arizona representative also believed she was the subject of retribution after allegedly rebuffing Franks.
The Associated Press verified the identity of the staffer, who asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her privacy, and confirmed that she worked in Franks’ office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
