Rep. Tom Kean Jr. appears to have taken at least two official actions during his weekslong and largely unexplained absence from Congress — both to the benefit of his staff, according to U.S. House records reviewed by NOTUS.
Despite not casting a vote since early March, the New Jersey Republican signed a pair of congressional “gift travel” disclosures affirming that his chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, was authorized to take trips paid for by special interest groups.
The first disclosure, which Kean signed on March 14, stated that Scharfenberger’s trip to an event in Las Vegas funded by the Republican Main Street Partnership “was in connection with the employee’s official duties and would not create the appearance that the employee is using public office for private gain.”