Six members of Congress, including a member of the U.S. Senate and several members of the House of Representatives, are leaving office early and all will be gone in 2018. The reasons for leaving vary from sex scandals to a midlife crisis and political considerations most undoubtedly played an instrumental role in the resignation decisions.
Minnesota Senator Al Franken, (D), the most notable of the resigning members of Congress, already is being replaced by that state's current lieutenant governor, Tina Smith, who was named by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.
Smith will serve as Minnesota's junior U.S. Senator and will run for reelection in a special election in November of 2018. Franken's term would have ended in 2020, which means that even if Smith wins in 2018, she still will have to face the electorate again in 2020 to run for a full six-year term.
The basic rundown
Here is a basic rundown of each resigning male member of Congress and his reasons for resigning:
Al Franken
Senator Al Franken was one of the most high-profile Senators throughout his career. He was prodigiously sought after by the mass media for interviews and was a sharp critic of the GOP and President Donald Trump, who this observer believes must resign because of sexual allegations against him.
Franken's career came to a startling halt when multiple women alleged that when he was a comedian, he made unwanted sexual allegations against them.
There also was the release of an old photo in which the future politician appeared to be holding his hands over a young woman's breasts while she was asleep. Franken, who at first asked for an investigation into the allegations against him while at the same time apologizing for his actions, realized that he could not be effective as a Senator amidst the accusations against him.
Shortly before Christmas 2017, Franken announced that he is resigning from office effective January 2, 2018.
Rep. Trent Franks
Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, (R), who at first announced his intentions to resign at the end of January 2018, already has resigned from Congress. Franks resigned amid allegations from two female staffers in his office that he tried to entice them into being surrogate mothers for his baby.
Franks and his wife reportedly have had medical issues that have rendered pregnancy impossible. In his zeal to find a surrogate mother, Franks allegedly sought assistance from the two female staffers.
Rep. John Conyers
Michigan Congressman John Conyers, (D), the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, has served since 1965. Conyers, who already has resigned from Congress, represented the Detroit area for over fifty years. However, mounting allegations of inappropriate sexual advances from several women forced the one-time Congressional power broker to resign. Conyers, who served as the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, boasted that his legacy "can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we are going through now," according to ABC News on Thursday.
Rep. Pat Tiberi
This Ohio Republican may be one of two in the bunch whose resignation is not due to a personal scandal. Reportedly, the Congressman is resigning to accept a job at the Ohio Business Roundtable, which is a business consortium in his home state of Ohio. Although Tiberi's resignation, which is effective at the end of January 2018, appears to be for personal reasons, some observers believe that it is due to the GOP's mounting problems created by Donald Trump.
Congressman Tim Murphy
Pennsylvania Congressman Tim Murphy, (R), resigned amid allegations from a woman that he asked her to "share" pregnancy with him. Allegedly, Murphy later recanted that request and sent her text messages asking her to end her pregnancy.
Murphy's resignation was effective the end of October 2017.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz
Of all the Congressional resignations, this one, by far, is the most comical. Chaffetz, (R-Ariz.), reportedly has attributed his resignation to a "midlife crisis." Despite this, some observers believe that his reason for resigning is that he plans to run for Governor of Utah in 2020 and needs to prepare for the race.
Trump's accusers
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has stated her view that Trump's female accusers "should be heard." How, when and where a forum will be established for these women remains to be seen.