Rep.Tom Kean Jr.
(R-N.J.) and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have a lot in common.Both have long spells of absences from Capitol Hill due to health.Kean was out for months this winter and spring.But until he returned in June, no one knew exactly what was going on.
Neither Kean nor his office or family said a word about why the congressman was AWOL. Upon his return, Kean announced he endured a lengthy hospital stay for depression.U.S.Senator Mitch McConnell released a statement to his constituents regarding his hospitalization and recovery on July 12, 2026.
(Office of Senator Mitch McConnell)McConnell’s absence is similarly cryptic.His office simply declared in June that the Kentucky Republican was hospitalized and receiving "excellent care." Yet it took weeks to learn that McConnell was hospitalized for a fall and then pneumonia. The dearth of information fueled conspiracy theories about whether McConnell was even alive.It prompted a letter of inquiry from Kentucky Gov.
Andy Beshear (D) as to the senator’s well-being.He told SiriusXM he hadn’t "heard a thing.Not an email.
Not a letter.Not a call."But that’s not where the similarities between Kean and McConnell end.During Kean’s absence, hardly a day went by when someone didn’t ask me about how they could potentially fill his seat.
The same has gone on with McConnell for the past month-and-a-half.There’s conjecture about whether their respective state’s governors, or even the House or Senate could declare their seats vacant since they haven’t shown up "for work." The American electorate is angry right now. Prices are up.They’re disenchanted with politics. At the very least, they want to know that the people they elected are on the job.
And if they’re not, voters believe they’re entitled to explanations from those who serve them.WATCH: LAWMAKERS REVEAL WHERE THEY STAND ON CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS AFTER RECENT HEALTH SCARESNo one received timely clarity fro...