Updated at 5:26 p.m.
Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, announced Friday that he would be resigning, months after it was reported he settled a sexual harassment case for $84,000.
“Since being elected to Congress in 2010, I’ve worked to make government more efficient and responsive, cut government spending, repeal Obamacare, protect life and reduce the debt,” Farenthold said in a statement Friday. “Locally, I’ve worked tirelessly to get federal funding for the widening and deepening project at the Port of Corpus Christi and help our other area ports and military facilities. I’ve also been extremely successful in working with our communities on recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Most importantly, I’ve been able to help countless people, especially veterans with their problems with the federal government.”
“While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it’s time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve,” he added.
Farenthold said he submitted a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to say he would be stepping down from his post, effective at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Farenthold’s former communications director, Lauren Greene, sued him in December 2014, for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and creating a hostile work environment.
According to the lawsuit, Greene claimed that a male aide told her Farenthold had discussed “sexual fantasies” and “wet dreams” he had about her. She also claimed he talked about being “estranged from his wife and had not had sex with her [his wife] in years.”
“Farenthold regularly drank to excess, and because of his tendency to flirt, the staffers who accompanied him to Capitol Hill functions would joke that they had to be on ‘red head patrol to keep him out of trouble,’” Greene’s complaint alleged. “On one occasion, prior to February 2014, during a staff meeting at which [Greene] was in attendance, Farenthold disclosed that a female lobbyist had propositioned him for a ‘threesome.’”
After reporting the incident, Greene claimed she was terminated. She filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, but dropped the case after reaching a settlement, which was paid for with government funds.
Farenthold said after the settlement was reported that he would reimburse the government for the settlement, but later it was revealed he was holding off on the reimursement so he could seek legal guidance first. He has yet to pay back the $84,000.
“I hope Blake is true to his word and pay back the $84,000 of taxpayer money he used as a settlement,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Steve Stivers, a congressman from Ohio, said in a statement Friday. “As I have said repeatedly, Congress must hold ourselves to a higher standard and regain the trust of the American people.”
The House Ethics Committee announced in December that they would investigate whether Farenthold sexually harassed Greene, discriminated against her, or retaliated against her after she complained about his conduct. The committee also announced in December it was expanding the probe to look into whether Farenthold misused official resources for his reelection and lied to the committee, after a former aide accused him of forcing her to complete campaign-related activities.
Farenthold announced in December that he would not be running for reelection in the 2018 midterm race.
