Amid affair scandal, GOP congressman announces retirement

Rep. Tim Murphy and other members of Congress.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.