Speaker Paul Ryan ally Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) will resign from Congress effective October 21, amidst a scandal in which he allegedly encouraged his mistress to obtain an abortion. Murphy announced his resignation one day after revealing that he will retire at the end of his term in 2018.
Speaker Ryan said in a statement, “This afternoon I received a letter of resignation from Congressman Tim Murphy, effective October 21. It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it.”
Congressman Murphy faced increasing pressure to resign from Congress after reports claimed that Murphy encouraged his mistress to obtain an abortion. Murphy has campaigned as a staunch pro-life candidate.
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Steve Stivers released a statement regarding Rep. Murphy’s resignation. Stivers said, “As I said last night, the circumstances surrounding this situation are extremely disappointing to me.”
Stivers added, “However, the NRCC is undefeated in special elections this year and I’m supremely confident that will continue. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing how national Democrats can spin yet another special election loss into a so-called ‘moral victory.’”