House Speaker Mike Johnson has provided an update of sorts on New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean, who has been mysteriously absent from Congress for months.
The Louisiana Republican said he has not spoken to Kean in several weeks while also offering a vague timeline for the lawmaker’s return to D.C.
“We’re expecting him back here soon. He’s had a medical issue and he’s gonna be fully transparent and disclose all that,” Johnson told reporters.
“I mean, that’s what he told me. But I don’t even know the details, and I have to respect that,” Johnson added, per NewJersey.com.
Johnson stated that Kean Jr. sounded “good and optimistic” during their last phone call.
He also indicated that the two-term Republican lawmaker intends to remain on the ballot for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district election this November.
“He’ll get reelected because he comes from a long history, a legacy in his family of faithful public service,” Johnson said of Kean Jr., the son of former Gov. Tom Kean Sr.
“Things happen to people individually in their health and otherwise, and they deal with challenges and they get right back. That’s what champions do, and Tom Kean is one of ‘em,” he said.
Johnson ended the press conference without answering a reporter’s question about whether Kean Jr. owes voters more transparency amid his lengthy absence from Congress.
Kean Jr., 57, has not cast a vote in the House since March 5 and missed all 88 recorded House roll call votes between March 17 and May 15.
Despite the prolonged absence, neither Kean’s family nor his congressional office has disclosed specific details about the medical condition keeping him away from Capitol Hill.
Kean and his staff have repeatedly said only that he is dealing with a personal health matter and intends to return to work soon, but they have declined to provide a timetable or further explanation.
Republican officials across New Jersey said their phones suddenly lit up late last week with a familiar caller: Kean Jr.
He began reconnecting with political allies after nearly 12 weeks away from public view due.
Kean’s reemergence comes at a critical moment politically, as he faces mounting scrutiny during a high-stakes reelection campaign while questions continue swirling about his prolonged absence from Congress and the lack of detailed public information surrounding his health.
Carlos Santos said his phone rang at 4:52 p.m. Thursday. Joe LaBarbera was in his car when his cell lit up five minutes later.
“I asked him if he needed anything,” LaBarbera, Sussex County’s Republican chairperson, recounted.
“Just your prayers,” Kean Jr. responded, according to LaBarbera.
For his part, Santos said Keen was upbeat during their phone call.
“He sounded healthy,” said Santos, who is the Republican leader in Kean’s home county of Union.
“He sounded excited to get back on the campaign trail,” Santos added.
Both officials said Kean Jr. told them he expects to make a full recovery, though he still did not reveal the nature of the medical condition that has kept him away from Congress since mid-March.
The continued lack of specifics has only intensified speculation surrounding Kean’s extended absence, particularly as voters and political leaders continue pressing for more transparency during an active reelection campaign.
Harrison Neely, Kean’s spokesman, said Sunday that the congressman plans to provide additional details about what his office has so far described only as a “personal medical condition.”
Kean, a second-term Republican, is seeking reelection in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, making questions surrounding his health and prolonged absence from Washington increasingly politically significant.
“He is currently focused on his recovery,” Neely said.
“But when that is complete, he plans to be fully transparent and give details about his personal medical issue,” he added.
