Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says depression treatment led to months-long absence
Tom Kean Jr. was healthy enough to authorize stock transactions up to $190,000 during his nearly 4-month absence from the House. There’s more to this story than he’s saying.
Señor Sabelotodo141And his first order of businesses to look for sympathy. His second order of business is going to be to attend a fundraiser. And his final order of business is to go back to screwing over his constituents and the Constitution.
Tali75It is extremely rare to be hospitalized for 4 months for depression only. I suspect there is more.
Dolly74Im glad he could afford health insurance unlike many of his constituents
Sunset Cove35The whole fucking country is depressed but we aren't in a hospital.
@The Real Crustocrates29That’s fine Tom. We’re just going to need a doctor’s note before we let you continue to collect a paycheck. If you don’t get one for us then unfortunately these past 4 months will be marked as “no-call/no-show” and we’ll have to let you go. Please be aware this will affect your performance eval.
Just James21Insider-Trading therapy is typically prescribed for depression.
kvconner.bsky.social3Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social Tom Kean Jr. was healthy enough to authorize stock transactions up to $190,000 during his nearly 4-month absence from the House. There’s more to this story than he’s saying. bsky.app/profile/jonc...
Meema4of3 🌴 🐈 🐈⬛ 🚀2Problem is Mr. Keane You work for us You’re accountable to us and if you’re not going to work for four months, you need to tell us four months ago, where the hell you were. Everything with these people is a cover-up
Purplesouth2Receipts———- since you are on the taxpayer’s dole. No free rides.
Fascist Republican Tom Kean wants sympathy for neglecting his duties in Congress for months supposedly battling depression whilst being against mental health programs. He wasn’t depressed when he was authorizing nearly $200K in stock trades during that time. Spare me the bullshit.
Alyson Wonderland13What a joke! I don’t know anyone w/ depression that has spent 4 months inpatient - unless theres a comorbidity was major like schizophrenia. Sounds like a nice fully funded vacation …
hokusai 🌊🌊🌊11also, he didn’t let his constituents know either what kind of irresponsible a*^hole who is supposed to SERVE and REPRESENT americans does that? ZERO SYMPATHY and f*^k MIKE JOHNSON for also covering up his status
Kris with a K9My problem with this chit, is if it were an ordinary citizen we would be fired or let go. And our insurance probably wouldn't cover us of more than 30 days. Man we pay high dollar for their insurance!
Feral Maui Hermit9But insider trading is like Prozac for Republicans.
Lpeterp7Notice how Republicans never tell the truth? No way his "treatment" for depression included months-long hospital stays; that just doesn't happen today.
catlady49ers.bsky.social6He should have to show proof that he was hospitalized for depression, attended therapy regularly for depression, show proof that he took meds for depression, etc. And he should have to explain why he could not even make 1 simple phone call saying he was sick and needed time off! 🙄
Rep. Tom Kean took leave to get help for depression. But as a member of Congress, due to voting for Medicaid work reqs, and as part of the New Jersey state leg, he hasn't made it easy for others to do the same. New w/ @hurwitz.bsky.social at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Julia Métraux33“All individuals with mental health conditions deserve that opportunity to get care and to recover on their own terms,” Matthew Camarda of NAMI New Jersey said.
jnycz.bsky.social17Not depressed enough for insider trading. www.forbes.com/sites/sarado...
Grumpy Zeus3Kean's a motherfucking Republican traitor scumbag douchenozzle sniffer who enjoys watching others suffer from medical conditions for which he gets treatment. Republicans enjoy suffering of others and if you don't understand that, you don't understand your Republican neighbors.
Bea2the commoners only get 12 weeks of paid leave, IF they've been with an employer (who has 50+ employees) for 12 consecutive months, and has logged 1,250 hours. but *technically* a member of congress can go home on january 4 and get paid/keep health insurance for the rest of their term bc "sick".
The Cassandra Files (I told you so)1Congress will always demand for themselves (at OUR expense) what they fight against for the rest of us.
Tex Ramone146this mfer voted for work requirements for Medicaid and then took four months off from his job
🗽LOLGOP🗽75We need to make Tom Kean a hero for speaking about the need to prioritize mental health over work. Let’s name the bill that repeals the paperwork penalties for Medicaid after him.
elliott junkyard 🌱34MUST BE FUCKING NICE, TOM!!!
garlicccc 🧄32these people belong in fucking hell
Dr. Syntax17Let me guess: he got his congressional paycheck and benefits during his 4-month absence. What employer allows an employee to disappear (literally) for 4 months with no explanation?
Julia Métraux15Yes! Reported on it earlier today (not the specific amount of campaign cash though, but on voting history). bsky.app/profile/did:...
Jason D. Salvagni11They nailed the hypocrisy 🎯
fadednick54 months of *paid* sick leave while still stock trading with insider info and i was "lucky" to get a week off work for each of my kids.
Rootless Suburbian4Hate my congressman so much.
Too sick to vote. Healthy enough to trade stocks and rack up travel bills 3,000 miles away. Pick a lie. Tom Kean Jr. thinks voters won’t notice. They will. 🤬 NJ-07 deserves better! #USDemocracy #Pinks newrepublic.com/post/212544/...
Gayle Dourn Plantz14Boo hoo. Hundreds of millions of Americans are depressed also, directly caused by Trump and enabling Republicans who don't have the balls to honor their oath of office.
Cat Alyst 🇨🇦 (they/them)10I wonder how MAGA would react if a Democrat cited depression for congressional absence.
Elizabeth Pennysworth9It’s beyond outrageous & yet nothing will be done about it. We paid him & paid his hospital bills. If i don’t show up for work for 4 months, i don’t get paid, my insurance lapses, & then I lose my job 😡
Peggy Stuart8Depression is a disability. I thought MAGA was against helping people with disabilities. Toss him out on his ear! At least be consistent.
🏴☠️Øracle 671⚓️🌻6This is the most bullshit story and excuse that I've heard out of the current congress. If Kean was so depressed to be institutionalized for FOUR FUCKING MONTHS with no contact or no votes, then he should not be sitting in congress. Easy.
Let’s Be Frank6I’m not a psychologist but I’d say most people who are depressed still go to work. Unless he was suicidal. Why couldn’t Kean at least work from home. He missed 140 votes over 4 months. Although it may have been a blessing in disguise since he is staunchly anti-healthcare. Ah, the irony of it all.
Thaddeus Howze2“I needed to take some time for myself, with the duties of Congress being so overwhelming. Four months has given me a new lease on life. “I did some stock trading during my convalescence seeing as my Congressional salary just doesn't pay me enough. Thank god for Congressional healthcare.”
😎 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓻 😎2Boo fuckin' hoo... Every American is depressed that an orange pedo ALWAYS give foreign countries our tax money
KT2Lying is hard. They are all acting like the Liar in Chief.
shutzy55.bsky.social2Depressed?? Welcome to our world assh*le! And you got PAID for it! WTF
Tom Kean thinks missing 100 days of PAID WORK is fine because he has "depression". Bitch, I've been depressed for fucking decades but I still show my ass up to work??? If I just fucked off for even a week and no one knew where I was, I'd be fired and never rehired.
Arctic Antifa8I would love to be sympathetic to absences for depression. But the healthcare environment that he and his fellow “conservatives” have created means that most of us can’t just not work, no matter how bad the depression. So, fuck him.
ABOLISH ICE NOW!5Depression is real but his excuse isn't. This is bullshit and if it was a democrat you can bet it would be a daily screed.
eddie0028.bsky.social2Maybe instead of a 5 month hospital stay the doctor should have said: Stop Screwing Your Country By Supporting Everything 86taco47 Tells You Too
Jeff B2Trump, next to Johnson at a presser: “We didn’t see him for awhile, he had some issues” Johnson: “It was a private medical matter, let’s leave it at that.” Trump: “He was sad, ok? Said he wanted to stick his head in a gas oven. I told him Tom you can’t do that, we need your vote. He said sir
Call Congress Daily1Clinical depression is not simply "depression." Empathy and understanding counts in a democracy.
lisamims.bsky.social10I know more than one attorney who is not eligible for rehire because they got food poisoning during a trial. I eat an all canned food diet the few days before and during any longer trial.
Earn2The company I worked for at the time had “unlimited pto” right until I needed 3 weeks off to go to grippy sock day camp. I got two weeks paid but the last unpaid and then the hr lady screwed up my short term disability claim and I just had to deal with missing a week’s pay.
There are few things as bad as crippling depression. I hope that Tom Kean uses this experience to advocate for wider access to the quality care he has received. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...
Benjamin McKean10Unfortunately, I wouldn’t bet on it
linareed72.bsky.social5I have empathy for him, but you can’t use depression as a crutch, or it will stigmatize everyone who struggles with it. I’m 73 and have battled it since my early 20s. If depression is preventing him from doing his job to serve the people, then he should consider finding a less stressful position.👍
Lady Sara Richard4But everyone else dealing with extreme depression has to show up for work. 🙄
Jack Sprat2That will be the day.
Max’s Dad1"In 2024, Kean, one of 17 House Republicans representing a district that voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, endorsed Donald Trump." yeah fuck him.
A Wild Lib Appeared4It needs to be said that Tom Kean Jr. has failed to cosponsor any of the legislation for paid sick leave for American workers. And last year, he voted to gut funding for Medicaid, the ACA, and lifelines to mental healthcare for millions of Americans. #NJ07 should vote him out. #BlueWave2026
ECP2I honestly hope Kean experiences no solace or peace or happiness for the rest of his miserable, hateful, selfish existence. I have depression. It sucks. I like that this man suffers from it, too. It's a small happiness to me, because Kean is a shitty person and he deserves misery.
Look I’m happy for anyone who gets the mental health treatment they need, but for Tom Kean Jr. to disappear for treatment of depression A) after having voted to cut mental health services and B) without telling his #NJ07 constituents for 4 months? Still outrageous. apnews.com/article/tom-...
Dreamboat Annie2Nice for him that he can get clinically diagnosed with depression and just drop out of sight without explanation for months on end. Without any repercussions whatsoever. Probably a lot of other people who would like to be able to do that.
If we don’t create our dreams, who will?1He needs to resign immediately!!!
Tom Kean, the New Jersey congressman who disappeared from public view for months, returns to Congress and says he was hospitalized for depression. "Until you experience it yourself" it is hard to understand "how powerful this illness could be." @anniekarni.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...
thepagemancer.bsky.social8I'm sure he will fully support any legislation that will improve mental health care for all Americans. Right? Right?
Āris W. Stalis4How many can take so much time from work, keep getting paid, and have insurance that covers it? Please. Enlighten me.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯4You don’t have to experience an illness to show empathy for those who suffer. Now tell us how this experience will change you? What will you do to help others and your constituents?!
John Ferrara1I empathize deeply with Representative Kean and wish him well in his recovery. It would be a great outcome if more people gain an understanding of depression, if those affected seek out help, and the rest of us learn to give them grace.
Kelly McMahon1But he was well enough to trade stocks.🤷♀️
Tickles La Rue1Oh, dude, I think a lot of us get it. We aren't allowed to leave our lives to fix it, though. We have to struggle through work, family, and commitments without the benefit of disappearing and not losing our jobs because of it. You'd hope this will make him advocate for people such as himself, but...
Yep, TX Rep Kay Grainger was in a memory care facility for SIX MONTHS as her corrupt (R) cult cronies covered up for her rather than following the law; and ANOTHER (R) stooge, Tom Kean Jr, has not been in Congress since March, missing >140 roll call votes, and they just let it slide.
Chuck Watkins29I mean, how depressed can you BE if you have a job working <100 days/year with THE BEST full benefits, bribes and kickbacks, AND a $174,000/yr salary that you don't even have to SHOW UP FOR to get? Sorry for his issue, but damn...how many "white people problems" does he have to make him NOT joyous?
morguetech.bsky.social1Maybe we, the people, need to start reining in all of our elected officials. After all, they, supposedly, work for us. They should follow the same rules as all other government employees up to, and including, retirement age.
Of course, empathy to Kean. But many questions remain: What first took him to the hospital? Where was he? Four months for depression; why so long? How is he now? Tom Kean Jr. reveals mystery illness that kept him from Congress for 4 months www.nj.com/politics/202...
demoskratia.bsky.social23Imagine being blessed enough to be able to take months long absence from his job and still be able to afford his bills
Rhonda 🌊4Tom Kean’s staff used fake speeches to hide his absence so he could sail through an uncontested primary. His real test is this November in a tight swing district. Voters will definitely remember the $190K stock trades and the PR cover-up once they have a real choice.
Lauri3My guess is Kean was discharged from the hospital and then went into a residential or outpatient program for a period of time. Highly unlikely he went back to work straight from the hospital.
Patrick2Why was he still trading stocks while in the hospital?
Harper’s Mom1I have a question: who paid for his 4 months of psychiatric hospitalization? Most Americans don’t have the luxury of that kind of mental health care.
Lea1Do we even know if that's true? The f-cking gall of these assholes to disappear for 4 months with no explanation, but WITH PAY while most of us have to jump through hoops just to get unpaid job protection, assuming we can even afford whatever treatment is needed.
