Staffer for Missing Congressman Slams CNN Reporter for Trying to Track Him Down

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr.’s (R-NJ) mysterious absence from Congress took an interesting turn this week as one of his staffers, publicly identified as a spokesperson, attacked CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski for trying to track down the congressman.

Kean Jr. cast his last vote in Congress on March 5th and, citing a medical issue, has not been present since. A public appearance scheduled for May 28th was also recently canceled, raising further speculation about and alarm over the New Jersey Republican’s well-being.

“He’s going to be totally fine, and he’ll be back to a full schedule soon,” Harrison Neely, a spokesman for Kean, told The New York Times last Tuesday.

On Monday, Aaron Fritschner, a House Democratic Party staffer, posted to X, noting that Kean’s office is still sending out mailers in Kean’s name during the congressman’s medical absence.

“Tom Kean’s office still sending out constituent newsletters like the guy hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth,” wrote Fritschner on the social media platform, attaching screenshots of the emails.

Kaczynski replied to the post and added his own comment, “Creepy and weird to send out first person newsletters when your missing and possibly incapacitated (?) and staff won’t tell your constituents what’s going on.”

Kaczynski, who leads CNN’s investigative K-File team, sparked Neely’s ire with his comment. Neely replied to Kaczynski, writing, “This is a rich charge coming from a ‘journalist’ who has called the Congressman’s daughter and family members of staff. Creepy.”

“Consultants for Tom Kean are now attacking reporters for inquiring about his whereabouts,” hit back Kaczynski.

Aaron Blake, a senior political reporter at CNN defended his colleague, noting, “I hope Rep. Kean is OK. He is also a public servant, elected by the people, and his office has stubbornly refused to say why he has been away from his job for so long. Calling people who might know information that powerful people are hiding is literally the job.”

Tom Kean Sr., a former Republican governor of New Jersey, spoke to the K-File team late last week and said that his son has a serious illness, but would not disclose exactly what illness, saying that was up to his son. K-File’s ability to get a Kean family member on the record to talk about Kean Jr.’s current state resulted in one of the more in-depth reports on his mysterious absence.

“He’s hopefully coming back soon and he’s under the care of a doctor,” Kean Sr. added to CNN. “They all agree he’s going to be fine. He’s under a doctor’s care,” Kean Sr. concluded. CNN also noted at the time that House GOP leaders had no idea where Kean was, and his illness had left leadership scrambling, given the GOP’s narrow majority.

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