Note from one of my neighbors-- a prominent movie director-- when the Trent Franks news started breaking yesterday: "Your old buddy must’ve got caught in the men's room with a pecker in his hair lip. The world is going nuts…"
In Sacramento, when Democratic state legislators are too conservative-- like as bad as the worsts Republicans-- Democrats and their union allies conspire to send them to Washington as congressmen. Two really horrible state legislators-- corrupt beyond normal bounds and as right-wing as a bad Republican-- Juan Vargas and later Lou Correa-- ran for Congress the entire establishment rallied around them. They tried to do the same thing with Isadore Hall but got sideswiped when his constituents were too smart to fall for the ploy and shocked the string corrupt California political class by elected progressive champion Nanette Barragán instead.But in Arizona, they had a different trick. The Republican-controled state legislature was happy with Trent Franks' extreme right voting record but after he got caught fooling around with a young man, the state Republicans were happy to see him go off to DC as a congressman. He even managed to find some kind of mail order bride and ordered up a couple of insta-kids. He's one of the most loudly and obnoxiously homophobic members of Congress... but a closet case.So when rumors started circulating Thursday that he was resigning immediately from Congress because of "inappropriate behavior," those who know about his penchant for the male sex organs, started wondering if he was credibly accused of having sexually harassed someone with a penis again. Republicans don't resign because of abusing women-- see Texas pervert Blake Farenthold, happily still in the House-- but they do resign when they get caught with the meat in their mouths (Mark Foley, Aaron Schock stand out lately).AZCentral.com, part of the Arizona Republic:
Rumors have swirled for years about Franks’ extracurricular activities.“I heard rumors of these types of problems in the past,” longtime Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin told me. “And in today’s society it doesn’t come as a big surprise anymore.”Franks was all set to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012 until suddenly, he wasn’t. Multiple people have told me that his after-hours activities caught up to him.“The information was there to be had, and it was shared with him, so he walked away from the race,” one consultant told me.Another told me that Franks wrote sexually charged text messages a decade ago to a Republican operative-- texts that never came to light. Whatever the reason, Franks' Senate campaign abruptly ended before it began....Expect two things:1. He'll resign citing family health concerns.
Ah... late yesterday afternoon, his statement came out. No reason to believe it's true by here in is in full:
"I have always tried to create a very warm and supportive atmosphere for every last person who has ever worked in my congressional office. It is my deepest conviction that there are many staffers, former and present, who would readily volunteer to substantiate this fact."Given the nature of numerous allegations and reports across America in recent weeks, I want to first make one thing completely clear. I have absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff."However, I do want to take full and personal responsibility for the ways I have broached a topic that, unbeknownst to me until very recently, made certain individuals uncomfortable. And so, I want to shed light on how those conversations came about."My wife and I have long struggled with infertility. We experienced three miscarriages."We pursued adoption on more than one occasion only to have the adoptive mothers in each case change their mind prior to giving birth."A wonderful and loving lady, to whom we will be forever grateful, acted as a gestational surrogate for our twins and was able to carry them successfully to live birth. The process by which they were conceived was a pro-life approach that did not discard or throw away any embryos."My son and daughter are unspeakable gifts of God that have brought us our greatest earthly happiness in the 37 years we have been married."When our twins were approximately 3 years old, we made a second attempt with a second surrogate who was also not genetically related to the child. Sadly, that pregnancy also resulted in miscarriage."We continued to have a desire to have at least one additional sibling, for which our children had made repeated requests."Due to my familiarity and experience with the process of surrogacy, I clearly became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others."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. I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress."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."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 versions of this story would put me, my family, my staff, and my noble colleagues in the House of Representatives through hyperbolized public excoriation. Rather than allow a sensationalized trial by media damage those things I love most, this morning I notified House leadership that I will be leaving Congress as of January 31st, 2018. It is with the greatest sadness, that for the sake of the causes I deeply love, I must now step back from the battle I have spent over three decades fighting. I hope my resignation will remain distinct from the great gains we have made. My time in Congress serving my constituents, America and the Constitution is and will remain one of God’s greatest gift to me in life."
Now let's translate that into something a bit more anchored in reality: The House Ethics Committee is investigating-- or at least was threatening to investigate-- Franks for "conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment." Even Paul Ryan-- who is still protecting Blake Farenthold, admits that the people complaining about Franks have "credible claims of misconduct."UPDATE: He sure didn't want that Ethics Committee investigation putting anything out about his sordid, hypocritical life! A few hours ago, Franks once again used the phony relationship with his "wife" to end an awkward situation. After pressure from Ryan and McCarthy, he issued a new statement saying he won't try to hang around until January 31. He's out immediately; maybe they'll take a river cruise down De Nile:
"Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C. due to an ongoing ailment. After discussing options with my family, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017."
And in the middle of all this, crooked lobbyist Harold Ford, a former congressman who was always known to be chasing women-- he lost his Senate race because of sexual charges-- got fired by Morgan Stanley for sexual misconduct. The company told HuffPo, which broke the story yesterday that Ford "has been terminated for conduct inconsistent with our values and in violation of our policies." He's also a paid regular on MSNBC's Morning Joe-- always ready to show Democrats can be as conservative as Republicans when it comes to anything fiscal-- and I can't imagine they'll keep him on either.
In two interviews with HuffPost, the woman alleged that Ford engaged in harassment, intimidation, and forcibly grabbed her one evening in Manhattan, leading her to seek aid from a building security guard. The incident took place several years ago when Ford and the woman were supposed to be meeting for professional reasons. Ford continued to contact her after the encounter until she wrote an email asking him to cease contact.The email, which was reviewed by HuffPost, shows that the woman emailed Ford after he repeatedly asked her to drinks. She asked him not to contact her anymore, citing his inappropriate conduct the evening where he forcibly grabbed and harassed her.Ford replied to the email by apologizing and agreeing not to contact her. “Hey very sorry. Meant no harm,” the email reads. “And I apologize for whatever I may have said or what was said. And my overtures are strictly professional. Again I apologize didn’t mean to be inappropriate at all. Sorry that impression was left.”HuffPost is not identifying the woman at her request but has reviewed emails that confirm her interactions with Ford and spoke to two people whom the woman confided in about the incident. One woman heard from Ford’s accuser the night of the incident and described her as “distraught, shocked, and frightened,” and said that she was concerned about any career ramifications should she report the incident.In a statement provided to HuffPost, Ford denied the allegations: “This simply did not happen. I have never forcibly grabbed any woman or man in my life. Having drinks and dinner for work is part of my job, and all of my outreach to the news reporter making these false allegations was professional and at the direction of my firm for business purposes. I support and have tremendous respect for the brave women now speaking out in this important national dialogue. False claims like this undermine the real silence breakers. I will now be bringing legal action against the reporter who has made these false claims about me as well as Morgan Stanley for improper termination.”John Singer, Ford’s employment counsel with the firm Singer Deutsch LLP, said “Morgan Stanley has still not told Harold directly of his termination, and unlike every other circumstance I’ve been in the company has refused provide me with a reason.”He added: “This all demonstrates how this was a matter of convenience during a hyper-sensitive time and not based on real facts.”Ford comes from a prominent political family in Tennessee. His father, Harold Ford Sr., held a congressional seat for 12 terms before retiring, leaving his son to run for the seat, a race which he won handily. Ford served in the House for nearly 10 years before deciding to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Republican Bill Frist. Ford lost that hotly contested 2006 race by fewer than three points to current Republican Sen. Bob Corker.Since leaving Congress in 2007, Ford has worked for two financial services companies, first for Merrill Lynch and then Morgan Stanley, which he joined in 2011 as a managing director.At the time Morgan Stanley announced the hire, the New York Times described Ford’s role as a rainmaker of sorts: “Mr. Ford will be responsible for ‘building business opportunities’ for clients, Morgan Stanley said. He will manage relationships with corporate directors, senior executives and institutional investors, as well as private clients.”