WASHINGTON — Missing Rep. Tom Kean Jr. finally broke his silence Thursday after skipping 100 votes in a row in a barely explained absence from Congress.
The New Jersey Republican declined to elaborate on his vague explanations that he was dealing with a “personal medical issue” or give a timeline for when he plans to return to work, other than “in the next couple of weeks.”
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean, 57, told the New Jersey Globe in his first known interview in his 77-day disappearance from work. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”
“I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I’ll return to voting and to the campaign trail.”
While many past and present lawmakers have missed far more votes than Kean has, the mysterious absence has spooked Republicans both inside the beltway and on the ground in New Jersey because he’s up for reelection in two weeks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who claims to have spoken directly to Kean “a few weeks ago,” admitted that he has very little idea what’s going on with him.
“We’re expecting him back here soon. He’s had a medical issue. He’s going to be fully transparent and disclose that,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t even know the details.”
Kean represents the most competitive congressional district in New Jersey and one of the most vulnerable House GOP seats in the country. The primary is less than two weeks away on June 2 and Republicans don’t have a solid backup plan. Replacing him after the primary would be complex.
“Everybody I’m talking to is just shocked at how poorly this is being handled by the Kean operation,” a New Jersey-based GOP consultant vented to The Post. “It’s created an air of mystery that’s fueled the story, or frankly, created the story.”
“The general consensus from the people I’m talking to is that something is prohibiting him from looking at an iPhone and doing a proof of life video … saying, ‘I’m here, I’m going through something, but I’ll be back,’” the consultant added.
The Post talked to staffers at his DC office and was referred to his communications team for comment. His communications team did not respond.
“It’s almost like a textbook example of what not to do in a crisis situation like this because eventually the truth will come out,” a Republican strategist told The Post. “It’s leading people to think the absolute worst, and the staff is tweeting like he’s actually there in Congress when he’s not.”
“There’s just a lot of confusion and concern, and people are thinking this is the most insane thing that could be happening right now,” the strategist said of the sentiment in New Jersey political circles.
The rumor mill has been running wild with different speculation about what could be going on with Kean. But so far, nothing credible has emerged.
Fueling concerns are seemingly cryptic explanations about his whereabouts.
“There’s no cameras where Tom is,” his chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, told The New York Times earlier this month.
His father, Tom Kean Sr., the former governor of New Jersey, predicted to NJ.com his son would be back on Capitol Hill in about “two or three weeks,” noting that “[a]ny time you’ve been through a serious illness, you can’t be 100% the day you get back.”
“What I can tell you is that the congressman is dealing with a personal health matter. He is focused on his recovery,” Kean consultant Harrison Neely told The Post. “His doctors are constantly assuring him that he is going to reach full recovery, and the timeline for that is shortly.”
“He is 100% planning to run for reelection.”
Neely wouldn’t elaborate beyond that.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Eli Cousin blasted Kean, arguing his “lack of transparency, disrespect for his constituents, and refusal to do the job he was elected to do is disqualifying.”
Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci told The Post that the GOP respects his privacy.
“We look forward to his return soon and, in the meantime, have staffed up in the district and remain fully committed to his re-election in November,” she said.