Missing Rep. Tom Kean Spotted at Home in a Suit and Tie

Rep. Tom Kean — the New Jersey Republican who has for months eluded reporters, his neighbors and the speaker of the House alike, citing a mysterious medical condition — was spotted at his home in New Jersey on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

Kean, dressed in a suit and tie, briefly spoke to a reporter but declined to answer questions. His aides said last week that he will return to Congress, where he has missed more than 100 votes since March, on June 30. It is unclear whether Kean will address his medical condition that day if the House leaves Washington early for recess.

Representatives for Kean did not immediately respond to NOTUS’ request for comment on Thursday.

The saga of Kean’s disappearance from public view has vexed Washington insiders and constituents alike following a trail of cryptic statements left by his staff.

“There’s no cameras where Tom is,” Kean’s chief of staff Dan Scharfenberger told the Times in May.

During his absence, Kean won the Republican primary for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District uncontested, and picked up President Donald Trump’s endorsement. The race is rated a toss-up by The Cook Political Report and is a top target for Democrats in the midterms.

Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot who will face off against Kean in November as the Democratic nominee, criticized Kean’s monthslong silence, calling him a “coward.”

“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” Bennett said in her victory speech earlier this year.

Even Speaker of the House Mike Johnson did not know much about Kean’s disappearance, though the situation worsened Johnson’s chances at passing legislation with a narrow Republican majority.

“I don’t even know the details, and, you know, I have to respect that it’s a member’s personal privacy on whatever matters they’re dealing with,” Johnson told reporters in May.

Kean has released few public statements since his last public appearance in March. On June 2, the day of New Jersey’s primary, Kean said he is “more energized than ever” and “focused on his recovery.”

Kean said in an April statement that he anticipates he will make a complete recovery from his illness and “return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.” He then told the New Jersey Globe in May that the medical issue will not affect his cognitive health.

“I understand the need for transparency on this matter and I look forward to sharing my experience with the public,” he wrote in a statement posted to X earlier this month.

Kean has said he was doing “virtual work” over the last few months. The congressman has introduced legislation and seemingly approved staff trips, while first-person social media posts have appeared on his accounts.

Kean also bought and sold shares of eight different stocks over three weeks in March while he remained missing from the Hill, according to a NOTUS review of congressional financial disclosures.

The transactions total $50,008 to $190,000 and include shares of Amcor, Chubb Limited, First Citizens BancShares, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo. (Federal lawmakers are only required to disclose the value of their trades in broad ranges.)