In 2011, Frank faced public scrutiny for using his influence in Washington to help his ex-boyfriend get a high-paying job at Fannie Mae. It would have been a tough campaign, Frank said.Ģ) Barney Frank was one of the first openly gay politicians to serve in Washington. The 71-year-old will return after 16 terms in the elected office. Thus, here are 10 things to know about one-of-a-kind Barney Frank:ġ) Frank said the challenge of running for re-election in a redrawn district and difficult political climate led him to not seek re-election. Nobody can deny, however, that Frank is one of a kind. The Democrat from Massachusetts, first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, stood out more than others in Washington over the years, and his absence will be notable - though some think that is a good thing, and others think it's a bad thing. Reutersīarney Frank announced his retirement from Congress this week, effective at the end of his term in 2013. Frank said he would not seek another term this year.
He went on to win re-election and served Massachusetts for 31 years. Gobie came forward with the story to The Washington Times and a congressional investigation was launched, but the committee found no wrongdoing on Frank's part. But I think we should let the quasi-judicial process take over, and then we can make some recommendations."įrank, meanwhile, sought to carry out normal congressional duties while declining to discuss his case with reporters.Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank was faced with accusations that he hired male prostitute Steve Gobie for sex in 1985 when Frank, who later came out as gay, was still in the closet. There have been issues like this for years in politics. But we ought to let the quasi-judicial process go forward."Īsked if Frank had become an embarrassment to the Democratic Party, Brown said: "No, don't think so. "The ethics committee ought to go forward. "He's done what he should have done," Brown said.
Michel, answering questions at a news conference, said he was "distressed to have anything of that nature become a stain upon the House of Representatives."ĭemocratic National Chairman Ron Brown, in a breakfast meeting with reporters, acknowledged Frank was under pressure to resign but said the congressman was right to await the Ethics Committee inquiry.
Frank has said he would await the ethics committee's inquiry. Gobie and Gobie's disputed claim that the congressman was aware he was operating a prostitution service out of Frank's Capitol Hill apartment. "If it were anyone other than Barney Frank.If I were to have a woman prostitute in my employ for my own self-gratification, I'd be run out of town," Michel said.Īt Frank's own request, the House Ethics Committee is investigating his involvement with Stephen L. Robert Michel (R-III.) asserted that the Massachusetts Democrat was benefiting from a double standard that would have dealt more harshly with other members of Congress in similar circumstances. WASHINGTON-The House Republican leader said yesterday that the Barney Frank case was becoming "a stain upon the House of Representatives," as allies of the embattled Democrat tried to quell suggestions he was near resignation.įrank, a liberal who disclosed his homosexuality in 1987, has come under scrutiny since acknowledging a two-year relationship with a male prostitute.
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