How come there are no fun speculations about why Tom Kean Jr. has vanished?

[Cheesesteak]

@Loach

I’m reserving my compassion for

Legislators who didn’t vote against earned sick leave when they were NJ Senators, then take 4 months of paid sick leave when it’s his own illness.

[Sherrerd]

@Dewey_Finn

It’s fine to claim “private life” but when something seriously affects one’s job performance, one’s employer is not out of line in needing an explanation. And in this case, the residents of New Jersey District 7 are his employers and their elected official was absent for almost four months.

Absent four months with no explanation: that should be a problem for every voter, R or not.

Also: there are questions about the story he’s telling. One is that he was “hospitalized” for the depression:

Kean said he originally did not think his diagnosis would result in a long-term absence. Doctors recommended he remain in the hospital to address the illness

From what I can tell this is very unusual.

For another thing: he’s said to have made a substantial number of stock-market trades during his hospitalization/depression.

Kean reported stock trades during his absence, as required by the House.

It’s all up the voters, apparently. It doesn’t look as though Kean violated any current Congressional rules.

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5876222/tom-kean-new-jersey-congress-depression

[my bolding in the quote]
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/30/tom-kean-jr-returns-house-absence-00981530

[Loach]

@RitterSport

@Loach

He feels like the only way to get elected is to be Trumpy but he knows it’s wrong.

I don’t know, that’s ascribing a lot more substance to this guy than is there.

Just a theory.

[TroutMan]

@Sherrerd

Also: there are questions about the story he’s telling. One is that he was “hospitalized” for the depression:

I wonder if there was a suicide attempt, but I don’t expect an answer. I think “treatment for depression” is all the explanation he owes anyone. People can make their own decision based on that (and what he does for the next few months) if he’s fit for office. Anything more is just our natural curiosity, not actually something we need in order to pass judgment.

[What_Exit]

It doesn’t have to be an attempt. If they think you’re a suicide risk, they can put you in for evaluation.

I had a friend that was trapped in the system for 21 days. I’m sure the Congressman was able to get much more help than my friend did.

[Alessan]

The hard part with depression is the diagnosis and finding the right balance of medications. After that, it’s just a chronic illness that needs to be managed.

[Chronos]

@Sherrerd

It doesn’t look as though Kean violated any current Congressional rules.

“Current Congressional rules”? What are those?

[SunUp]

@Sherrerd

For another thing: he’s said to have made a substantial number of stock-market trades during his hospitalization/depression.

Kean reported stock trades during his absence, as required by the House.

The sentence is ambiguous - did the trades occur in his absence, or did he report during his absence on trades that had happened before?

[Joey_P]

So it sounds like the OP had the right answer before they even finished the first sentence…

@StarvingButStrong

I think he has fallen victim to a shrink

[JKellyMap]

Hehhh

[Sherrerd]

@SunUp

The sentence is ambiguous - did the trades occur in his absence, or did he report during his absence on trades that had happened before?

From what I’ve read they were trades that occurred during the absence. (Sorry for the ambiguity.)

@Chronos

“Current Congressional rules”? What are those?

Heh.

In practice, mostly: "don’t get caught with a dead girl or a live boy, and try to use a bit of discretion with the cashing-in…"

[SunUp]

@Sherrerd

From what I’ve read they were trades that occurred during the absence. (Sorry for the ambiguity.)

No problem - I figured the source of the quote was where the ambiguity came in. Thanks!