Amid affair scandal, GOP congressman announces retirement
Amid allegations that he suggested the woman he was having an affair with get an abortion, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) announced Wednesday he will retire when his term is up.
"I plan to spend my remaining months in office continuing my work as the national leader on mental health-care reform, as well as issues affecting working families in southwestern Pennsylvania," he said in a statement. "In the coming weeks I will take personal time to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties and seek healing. I ask you to respect our privacy during this time."
The married congressman admitted in September he had an affair with Shannon Edwards, a forensic psychologist, Politico reports. On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that in January, Edwards thought she was pregnant and had an angry text message exchange with Murphy. Edwards accused Murphy of having "zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place" after he asked her "to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options." Her text came after Murphy, a member of the House Pro-Life Caucus, posted a message on Facebook about his anti-abortion views.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Sydney mall attacker may have targeted women
Speed Read Police commissioner says gender of victims is 'area of interest' to investigators
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Kerala: one Indian state, four exhilarating ways
The Week Recommends The southwestern region pretty much has it all, from beachfront, to port metropolis, to verdant mountainside
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Is a high-yield savings account worth having?
The Explainer They can pay up to 10 times more than a standard savings account
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress honors real-life Rosie the Riveters
Speed Read These American women reshaped the work force during World War II
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Outgunned Ukraine could fall, US general warns
Speed Read Without more US aid, Ukraine is at risk of losing the war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden pitches student loan forgiveness for millions
Speed Read The latest relief plan would benefit nearly 30 million borrowers
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Israel's 'tactical' withdrawal
Speed Read Six months after the Hamas attack, Israel announced it was withdrawing some troops from Gaza
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
No Labels, no presidential candidate this year
Speed Read The group has abandoned its efforts to run a third-party campaign
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published