Police were called on a New York Times reporter while she was attempting to cover a fundraiser featuring House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Tracey Tully arrived Friday morning at the Hawk Pointe Golf Club in New Jersey, where Johnson was helping raise money for Thomas Kean Jr. as the congressman fights to hold onto his swing-district seat in November.
The Times reports that Kean spokesman Harrison Neely blocked Tully at the door, telling her the fundraiser was private and the media was not welcome.
But Fox News reporter Liz Elkind was invited inside, along with a Pennsylvania television reporter, according to the report.
Tully stayed in her car outside the club, hoping to catch Kean or Johnson on their way out. While she waited, a Washington Township police sergeant arrived after someone called and reported Tully as a trespasser.
Sergeant Dallas Overko responded to the scene and appeared surprised to discover that the alleged trespasser was a reporter waiting in her car.
“I didn’t know it was just a nice little reporter waiting for an interview,” Overko told Tully.
Overko went inside the club to find out what happened, telling Tully she could remain in the parking lot.
“I guess there were some things lost in communication,” he was quoted saying.
Tully’s decision to stick around eventually paid off.
She caught Johnson outside the fundraiser and questioned him about Kean’s lengthy absence from Congress.
“You know, if it were me, I would have done it a little sooner,” Johnson was quoted saying of Kean. “What he was dealing with affects many millions of Americans, so I think people understand that.”
Kean returned to Congress on June 30 following a 116-day absence during which his office provided few details about his condition. In a House floor speech, the New Jersey Republican revealed that he had been hospitalized for depression.
Johnson added that he encourages Republican lawmakers to be transparent to the media but noted that every campaign has a “different flavor.”
“There are lots of campaigns that handle things differently across the country,” Johnson said.
Kean’s prolonged absence has caused controversy as he represents New Jersey’s competitive 7th Congressional District.
The seat could help determine whether Johnson retains his narrow Republican House majority after November’s midterms.
Kean has developed a reputation for avoiding the press. He has held no in-person town halls during his two terms in Congress and has frequently declined to answer reporters’ questions while walking through the Capitol.
President Donald Trump nevertheless endorsed Kean while he was still absent from Congress, writing on Truth Social on June 1: “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR TOM — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
