‘What Are You Having for Lunch?’ Reporter Captures Desperate Attempts To Get a Word out of Stone-Faced Congressman
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NJ Spotlight News congressional reporter Ben Hulac struggled to get the attention of Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) this week, even as he followed the congressman around and suggested they could talk about “literally anything,” including baseball and bingo.
“Almost daily, I am on Capitol Hill, interviewing New Jersey lawmakers for the public. Despite many attempts, Tom Kean has never spoken with me,” wrote Hulac in a social media post on Wednesday. “This video I took yesterday shows how things typically go.”
In the video, Hulac could be seen following Kean into an elevator and asking, “Do you regret endorsing Donald Trump?”
“How are you gonna vote on the CR?” he pressed as the stone-faced congressman completely ignored Hulac’s presence.
Hulac continued, “Are you in favor of mass deportations in New Jersey? In the southern district? What about Ukraine? Do you think Trump will do enough to support Ukraine in the war effort? Taiwan? You pick the topic, I’d love to talk to you about literally anything.
Kean maintained his silence as he exited the elevator, prompting the reporter to question, “What are you having for lunch?”
With Kean still not keen to answer any of the reporter’s questions, or even to acknowledge his existence, Hulac remarked, “I’m trying, sir, to get your sense on a topic of truly you name it. We could talk about the Yankees, the Mets, the Giants, NJ Transit, bingo, New Jersey question bingo. You guys are good starers, man. How do you feel about your campaign with Sue Altman? Optimistic? On edge?”
After seconds of silence, Hulac pressed, “Would you welcome, as I asked earlier, Trump in your district? In the state?”
The congressman’s assistant then scowled at the reporter as they walked through a members-only section, leaving Hulac on his own.
Asked on social media why the congressman had never acknowledged his presence, Hulac wrote, “Absolutely no idea, John. I have approached him 6-7 times in recent months and gotten absolutely no response. This was the first time I decided to film.”
