Boebert mocks Kean’s depression absence as election looms

Rep. Lauren Boebert renewed her public attacks on GOP colleague Rep. Tom Kean after Kean said he was hospitalized for depression and missed more than 100 days. Kean returned to the House floor with a statement on his medical absence, while Boebert said his tim

Rep. Lauren Boebert didn’t wait for the calendars to catch up.

On Tuesday, she turned her focus back to Rep. Tom Kean’s absence from Washington, calling it “embarrassing” and pressing a point she’s been making since early in the month: the contrast between her view of work and his long gap from the House.

Boebert told TMZ that she understood people needing time to get healthy, but couldn’t get past Kean’s length of time away. “I mean, sure, take care of yourself, get healthy, but who gets to take four months off of work because they’re sad,” she said.

Hours earlier, Kean returned to the House floor with a speech that gave colleagues and the public the reason for his absence. He said he had been away for more than 100 days because he was hospitalized after “some testing,” and that he was diagnosed with depression.

“I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said. He added that when he first told the public he was dealing with a medical issue, he was still “trying to understand what was happening myself.”

Boebert has been on his case since at least earlier this month. at times tying his extended absence to her critique of how he might still be rewarded politically. In her remarks on Tuesday. she echoed that theme—arguing that depression is part of the job. and questioning whether someone should stay in office if they can’t “build up a tolerance” for it.

“I don’t care what party you’re a part of, it’s not OK,” Boebert said. “There’s a dose of depression that comes with these pins that we’re given and so, if you can’t build up a tolerance to it, then maybe don’t be here.”

She also offered a practical workaround. as she framed it: show up. cast votes. and go back to getting whatever care is needed. “I think 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,” Boebert said.

The dispute matters beyond internal party tension because Kean’s return to the floor now arrives with an election already under way. Even as Republicans try to keep their majority, Boebert said she was not sure she wants Kean reelected.

Kean, who won his uncontested New Jersey primary, is up for reelection in November and will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett.

When asked where she lands, Boebert said she wouldn’t support a candidate based on the role alone. “I wouldn’t elect somebody just for the sake of that,” she said. “I do believe in proper representation and people doing the job that they were elected to do, that they swore that they would do.”

In the space between Kean’s description of a medical diagnosis and Boebert’s insistence on showing up. the argument has turned into something sharper than policy—it has become a test of how the party weighs personal health against the demands of public office. right as voters in New Jersey look toward November.

Lauren Boebert Tom Kean depression U.S. House New Jersey election Rebecca Bennett GOP health representation