Trump backed Tom Kean Jr reveals depression diagnosis behind long absence from Congress

WASHINGTON, DC: Weeks after President Donald Trump threw his full support behind Rep Tom Kean Jr, the New Jersey congressman, who had suddenly gone missing from Congress for over 4 months, he revealed the reason behind his long absence.

Tom Kean, in an emotional address on the House floor on Tuesday, June 30, that a diagnosis of depression was the reason for his nearly four-month absence from Congress.

Tom Kean’s depression was detected during a health check-up

Kean returned to the US House of Representatives and delivered an emotional speech on the floor, explaining that he spent his time away receiving medical treatment after his diagnosis.

“Several months ago due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I didn’t expect a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” he said on the House floor.

Speaking to a near-empty House chamber on Tuesday, Kean offered the first account of where he had been during the last several months.

“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness,” Kean added, noting that he was initially hesitant to remain hospitalised, but that he ultimately chose to stay.

During that recovery, Kean’s office had previously promised he’d return in a few weeks, but that timeline came and went.

Kean said that he truly believed he could return quickly — but that he instead learned: “There is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery, only the work of getting better one day at a time.”

Kean refused to talk to media about his mysterious absence

Notably, Kean, 57, returned to his Westfield home on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, but declined to speak to the media.

When a New York Times reporter approached him, he said, “It’s good to see you. I’ll talk to you next week.”

Harrison Neely, Kean’s top advisor, later, in a text message, told the NYT that the Republican would be fully transparent when he returned to office on June 30.

Rumors swirled in Kean’s absence as his team wouldn’t comment on his disappearance beyond calling it a “personal health matter” and claiming the congressman was “focused on his recovery.”

While the public was unaware of the reason behind Kean’s disappearance, he received support from his GOP colleagues.

Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier Tuesday that he encouraged Kean to make his return to Washington and to be transparent about what he had been facing. Johnson stressed that the public would sympathize with him.