Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona announced late Friday afternoon that he would be resigning immediately after a probe was announced into allegations of his sexual harassment, which included an AP report that he tried to pay a woman $5 million to carry his child like a Handmaid.
Politico quoted unnamed sources “that it was not clear to the women whether he was asking about impregnating them through sexual intercourse or in vitro fertilization. The Associated Press reported that a former aide to Franks said the congressman offered her $5 million to carry his child.”
Reuters has thus far not confirmed either report.
In addition to the troubling accusations, you might be wondering where Trent got $5 million with which to try buy a Margaret Atwoodian womb.
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Oil. Deregulating oil, it seems. Family oil.
Yes, in 2014 Ballotpedia found that Franks’ net worth has increased by $25,640,241 since 2003, which was an ANNUAL percentage increase of 43%.
“During the time he’s been in Congress, he’s seen his net worth go up by 340 percent, averaging out to a 42 percent increase each year. During that same time period, the average American citizen saw their net worth decline by 0.94 percent,” the Phoenix New Times pointed out.
Their report continued:
“His (Franks) most lucrative assets are his shares in Trinity Petroleum, with a reported value in the range of $5 million to $25 million. According to Open Secrets, no other lawmaker is more heavily invested in the oil and gas industry.
“Trinity Petroleum is something of a family business: The Arizona Corporation Commission lists Franks’ brothers Lane and Travis as the company’s directors.
“It also shares an address with Liberty Petroleum, an oil-and-gas exploration company that Franks co-founded with his brother Lane in 1997. Trent Franks served as the company’s CEO before running for office, but stepped down after being elected to Congress.”
Trent Franks’ ability to profit off of industries he had the power to deregulate and assist with welfare checks is one of the main reasons why U.S. citizens don’t really have representation in D.C. While both sides seem to enrich themselves, at least Democrats vote for the people on crucial issues like healthcare. It is, however, only the Republican Party trying to make Atwood’s dystopian Handmaid Tale a reality.
Trent Franks’ Handmaid money reveals more than his own personal corruption, it also reveals the toxicity of corruption in D.C.
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