WASHINGTON ― Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) on Tuesday finally revealed the health problem that’s kept him from the Capitol for nearly four months: depression. In a speech on the House floor, Kean said he was hospitalized for depression and followed his doctors’ advice to remain hospitalized. “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. “When I first informed the public I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself.”While it’s not uncommon for lawmakers to be absent from Washington due to illness, it’s unusual to miss votes for months, and extremely unusual for an absent lawmaker to offer no explanation whatsoever. Kean said on social media in April that he was experiencing a “personal medical issue” with a full recovery expected.In May, when reporters pressed for information, Kean’s chief of staff cryptically said, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.”Kean’s long absence could hurt his reelection bid in November. He will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot. After winning the Democratic primary earlier this month, Bennett faulted Kean for voting for Republican legislation to cut Medicare and for failing to stop President Donald Trump from holding up funding for a commuter tunnel. And she alluded to his hiding act. “Tom Kean Jr., wherever you are ― you have failed this district,” Bennett said. Before Kean spoke on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters it was a common condition and that he expected people to understand Kean’s situation, even if he would have handled it differently. “If it were me, I would have been more specific about that,” Johnson said. RelatedU.S. House of RepresentativesNew JerseyTom Keane