MISSING IN ACTION

Lauren Boebert Warns Mysteriously Absent Republican Could Cost GOP

The congresswoman is growing increasingly impatient with his extended absence from the Hill.

Lauren Boebert has torn into a fellow Republican congressman who has seemingly vanished from Capitol Hill.

The Colorado congresswoman unloaded on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. after the New Jersey Republican missed over 100 roll call votes in his mysterious nearly three-month absence—which Boebert warned could become a problem for Republicans as they battle to defend their razor-thin House majority in the looming November midterm elections.

“No, where is he? No, seriously, it’s embarrassing,” Boebert told TMZ on Wednesday when asked whether she wanted Kean back in Congress.

“We’re supposed to be the party that is against campaigning from the basement,” she added.

Kean has not cast a vote since March 17, turning what began as a quiet absence into a strange mystery as Republicans remain largely in the dark about when the congressman plans to return.

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In May, Kean attributed his disappearance to an undisclosed medical ailment and said doctors were confident he was on “the road to a full recovery.” He also said he expected to return to “voting and to the campaign trail” in the coming weeks, echoing a similar reassurance he gave in April.

Kean cruised through his uncontested Republican primary on Tuesday after President Donald Trump, 79, issued a glowing endorsement of the absent lawmaker, praising him as a “great representative” who “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Kean’s team also made sure to thank Trump for his endorsement and urged voters to back the congressman in Tuesday’s primary, even as the candidate himself remained largely out of sight.

Boebert did not appear nearly as impressed.

“I mean, sure, we need a majority,” she said of the tight November fight ahead. “But under these circumstances, maybe I’m working too hard because I work my ass off to get re-elected and to serve the people of my district.”

The primary win sets Kean up for a high-stakes race in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a historically competitive seat he flipped in 2022 by a slim 3 points. Trump carried the district by just 1 point in 2024, making it exactly the kind of seat Republicans cannot afford to fumble as they try to hold the House.

When asked why voters should support Kean in November, Boebert declined to offer anything resembling a glowing endorsement.

“Listen, that is up to the voters back home, but I would recommend showing up and saying something,” she said.

The interviewer attempted to offer Kean some grace by noting that he had cited serious health issues. Boebert swiftly cut in to question the congressman’s vague explanation.

“What are they? Where is he? Is he in the hospital? Where is he? I don’t know,” she said.

The prolonged disappearance has fueled speculation for Kean, whose family has long been one of New Jersey’s most prominent political dynasties. His grandfather served ten terms in Congress, and his father, Thomas H. Kean, became one of the state’s most popular governors, serving two terms.

In an April statement, Kean acknowledged how unusual his absence was.

“I take my responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult,” he said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson weighed in on Kean’s vanishing act during a press conference this week, offering a more optimistic update on the congressman’s condition while acknowledging his absence would continue for the time being.

“He’s in good spirits,” Johnson said. “He’s under the care of health care providers, and they told him he needs a little bit longer to recover.”

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Tamilore OshikanluContributor

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