New evidence debunks Talarico psych hospital rumor after 'mind-numbing malpractice' fuels firestorm

A viral rumor claiming Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico secretly spent his recent campaign absence at an Ohio behavioral health center has now been debunked - but new questions are emerging over why evidence that could have quickly undercut the allegation was not made public as the speculation exploded online.

The New York Times reported Monday that it reviewed time-stamped security camera images provided by Talarico's campaign showing the Democrat at his Austin home between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, when his nine-day absence from the campaign trail was fueling mounting speculation about his whereabouts.

The images, which the campaign provided to the Times on the condition they not be published for security reasons, offer the clearest independent evidence yet supporting Talarico's account that he was home recovering from the flu and contradict claims that he instead traveled more than 1,000 miles away for treatment at an Ohio behavioral health center.

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But the revelation has also prompted criticism from some observers questioning why Talarico's campaign did not provide similarly verifiable evidence earlier before an unsubstantiated theory about his whereabouts mushroomed across social media and was amplified by prominent conservatives.

"In October of an election year, every day and every hour count as candidates do everything they can to meet with voters. So, if you are out of commission for any extent of time, it's easy for voters to wonder what's going on," GOP strategist Mark Bednar told Fox News Digital. 

"That being said, if there's a simple explanation like an illness, it's even easier to just prove that outright to voters. If the flu was really the case with Talarico, it's mind-numbing malpractice that his campaign didn't quickly and easily demonstrate that."

Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter Chuck Ross pointed to the Times report Monday, writing on X that the footage "could have been released a week ago and quashed the rumors."

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Talarico's campaign had maintained throughout his absence that he was recovering from the flu, and Talarico appeared virtually at an event Sept. 30 while visibly ill and told attendees he had come down with the illness. But his extended absence from in-person campaigning increasingly became a subject of speculation as Election Day approached.

The speculation accelerated after Talarico's campaign reposted footage from a February rally on Oct. 3 without initially identifying it as a months-old video. His campaign told the Times it routinely reposts older social media content.

"Let's be fair here. You're 20 days out from Election Day, and you're running for senate in one of the biggest states in the country. Use tech to connect: direct to camera videos, do a livestream. To just go dark is malpractice," Matt Gorman, chief communications officer at Targeted Victory, told Fox News Digital. 

"You're running for Senate, not some cubicle dweller."

Fox News Digital gave Talarico's campaign an opportunity Tuesday to respond to the criticism and update its previous statement after The New York Times' reporting. The campaign declined to add to its earlier response.

"This is a conspiracy theory that has been proven false. James is excited to be back on the campaign trail after recovering from the flu," campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told Fox News Digital Monday.

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Ennis, meanwhile, turned his attention toward Talarico's Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"It's been 87 days since James challenged Ken Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans' questions in a debate, which even President Trump called on him to do," Ennis said. "Ball is in Paxton's court."