Boebert Slams Fellow Republican Who Missed Months of Votes Due to Depression: ‘It’s Embarrassing’

Screenshot via TMZ

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) called Rep. Tom Kean Jr’s (R-NJ) explanation on Tuesday for his prolonged absence from Congress “embarrassing” in an interview with TMZ’s Jacob Wasserman outside the U.S. Capitol.

Boebert showed little sympathy for Kean after he revealed earlier in the day that he missed some four months of work due to depression. The Colorado Republican slammed Kean for not representing his voters, going so far as calling his absence “taxation without representation.” She also would not offer Kean her full support for reelection, despite adding that she wants to see the GOP keep the House — and he represents a crucial swing district.

“So a few weeks ago, we chatted and you were like, ‘Where is Tom Kean? What’s up with Tom Kean?’ Well, today he says he’s been gone for over 150 days because of severe depression,” Wasserman began.

Boebert replied, “I don’t even think he used the word ‘severe’ — he just said he was diagnosed with depression. I, for one, have been marked safe from depression today.”

Wasserman pressed, “What do you mean by that? What does that mean?”

Boebert replied, “‘I’m here.’ You haven’t seen those memes. Come on now, you’re younger than me. Okay, I guess it’s a Facebook thing, huh? It’s more Facebook. Okay.”

Wasserman pressed more, “Okay, so what’s your take on it?”

Boebert replied, “I think it’s embarrassing, still, even more so. I mean, sure, like, take care of yourself, get healthy, but who gets to take four months off of work because they’re sad? Like, that’s not a—”

Wasserman pushed back, “Well he might not be sad. I mean, it’s, it’s—”

Boebert jumped in, “Depressed. He’s depressed. He’s sad. And I, okay, whatever the reasons, maybe it’s embarrassing. I don’t care what party you’re part of, it’s not okay. I mean, I think there’s a dose of depression that comes with these pins that we’re given, and so I mean, if you can’t build up a tolerance to it, then maybe don’t be here.”

Below is the rest of their exchange:

Wasserman: But if his doctor’s saying, “Hey, it’s not safe for you to go to work,” I mean, doesn’t that come before this job?

Boebert: Did his doctor say that? I heard his doctor said that it is safe for him to return to work.

Wasserman: Yeah, I mean, I assumed if he was there for that long, he was there under doctor’s orders.

Boebert: Maybe he should have been institutionalized if it were that bad. I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.

Wasserman: Do you think he should come back?

Boebert: I’m not going to just sit here and dunk on Tom Kean. I think the Speaker pronounced it “Kean.” I’m just going to dunk on him and his issue. I do think it is an absolute disrespect to his voters that he has not shown up with a reason like that. If you’re depressed, okay, come in the back door, put your card in, vote, and leave. You don’t have to talk to anybody. You can keep your head down low, vote, and go home.

Wasserman: Have you talked to your colleagues about this? Do they feel similar to you, or different?

Boebert: I mean, I think everyone is more frustrated today at the reasoning, because I mean, look at everything that’s going on. I mean, you have members who the president has railed on time and time again in our own party, and they’re not using being sad as an excuse to not show up and work. “Oh, the president’s mad at me—”

Wasserman: I think saying “sad” is discounting it, you know. I get it, when you’re depressed—

Boebert: Not showing up for work is discounting the voters. It’s not right. It’s wrong. That is literally taxation without representation. It is absolutely awful. I can’t imagine missing one or two days. I have an upcoming event in July that I may have to miss one day for, and that is absolutely driving me bonkers that that might be possible. I’m trying to figure out how to get here the soonest or leave the latest. We were elected to be here to work, and it’s unacceptable.

Wasserman: Last thing, would you like to see him re-elected?

Boebert: Well, I would like to see us hold the House, but I mean, I wouldn’t elect somebody just for the sake of that. I do believe in proper representation and people doing the job that they were elected to do, that they swore they would do. So I think people get re-elected all the time that probably shouldn’t be here and are here for the wrong reasons. So I don’t know if there’s much difference.

Watch the full clip above.

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