‘I Need Him to Get Back’: Mike Johnson Pressed on GOP Rep’s Mysterious Absence

Left: (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite), Right: (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, file)

According to a Friday report from The Hill, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he needs Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) “to get back as soon as he can” as scrutiny grows over his unexplained two-month absence from the House of Representatives and his reelection prospects in a key swing district.

Per the report, Kean has not cast a vote since March 5 because of what his campaign has described only as a “personal medical issue.” The 57-year-old congressman, who represents one of the most competitive swing districts in the country, said in an April 27 statement that he expected to “return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent” in the “near future,” but remained absent when lawmakers returned to Washington this week.

Johnson told The Hill he spoke with Kean roughly two weeks ago and said the congressman “sounded great.”

“He said he was out on a medical issue and he’ll be back as soon as possible. That’s the full extent of what I know about it,” Johnson said. “It’s a personal thing, and obviously I told him that we’re praying for him, and I need him to get back as soon as he can.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) added to The Hill, “The word that we’re getting is he’s going to be back soon. I don’t know exactly when that is.”

The report also noted that the issue has taken on greater significance because Republicans can afford only two defections on party-line votes in the narrowly divided House. The Democrats trying for his seat were already slamming his absence in a debate this past week.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks went on to highlight the case of Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), who has not voted since April 17, which was pointed out on Wednesday by reporter Jamie Dupree. On Thursday, Wilson said she is recovering from eye surgery and expects to return to the Capitol next week.

Kean, by contrast, did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

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