Conservative Arizona Rep. Trent Franks resigning

Aaron P. Bernstein | Reuters

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC

Two Republican consultants say Arizona GOP Rep. Trent Franks is resigning from Congress.

Neither of the GOP strategists said they knew why the eight-term lawmaker was leaving. But his departure was abrupt, and one of the consultants said the 60-year-old Franks was resigning Thursday.

He left the House floor Thursday after being consoled by several other Republicans, including Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, Alabama’s Robert Aderholt and fellow Arizonan Andy Biggs.

Franks has been a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

He’s a staunch social conservative who sponsored House-passed legislation to make it a crime for any person to perform an abortion if the age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more.

The Republicans spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a decision they’d been told privately.