Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Returns to Washington After Nearly Four-Month Absence, Promises Transparency

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a 57-year-old Republican, planned to return to Washington on Tuesday after a nearly four-month absence, and CNN reported that one day before the return he sat on the steps of his tidy Tudor-style home in North Jersey, sifting through mail beside his wife.

“One day before Republican Rep”

CNN

CNN spokesperson Harrison Neely told CNN that Kean will be “fully transparent” about his nearly four-month absence when he returns to Washington on Tuesday.

CNN

The report said Kean planned to deliver a floor speech expected to address his unexplained health condition, and that for months his family and aides said little beyond that he was recovering from a medical condition and “under a doctor’s care.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke by phone with Kean and publicly said he urged Kean to explain his absence to his voters, while the report said Kean has missed hundreds of votes since early March.

CNN also said Kean’s interaction with a CNN reporter on Monday appeared to be only his second documented sighting in months, after he was first spotted at his Westfield home by The New York Times last week.

CNN reported that party leaders and senior aides repeatedly told CNN they had no idea where Kean was, describing it as a rarity for a House GOP leadership team tasked with keeping close contact with rank-and-file members.

Democratic campaign chief Suzan Delbene urged transparency, telling a group of local reporters, “there has been no clarity about why he has been gone so long,” according to The New Jersey Globe.

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The report said Kean’s Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, has said little about Kean’s absence, while Democratic operatives stepped up their attacks, newly confident they can flip his competitive battleground seat.

CNN also reported that lawmakers who believed they were close to Kean were irked by unreturned messages, and that even GOP aides privately admitted they were frustrated with how Kean’s aides had handled his absence.

In late April, Kean wrote on social media that he had a “personal medical issue,” and said he would return “very soon,” according to the report.

CNN said Kean’s return to full duties and an official explanation are expected soon, with the two-term Republican planning a floor speech expected to address his unexplained health condition.

“A rare public sighting raised new questions about his months-long silence, and colleagues demand answers as both parties brace for an on-floor explanation”

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The report stated that Kean’s office said in public statements that he planned to run for reelection, even as in early June he ran unopposed in a primary and some GOP operatives privately doubted whether he would be on the ticket in November.

CNN reported that Kean told The New Jersey Globe he’d be back in the “next couple of weeks,” after saying on social media in late April that he was dealing with a “personal medical issue” without specifying what it is.

The report also said Kean’s absence has rattled House Republicans, who worried it could complicate the GOP’s ability to hold onto a critical swing seat in an already difficult midterm cycle, multiple sources previously told CNN.

CNN further reported that Kean’s family and aides had said little about his absence except that he was recovering and “under a doctor’s care,” leaving his constituents in the dark until his planned return.