A New York Times report described time-stamped security camera images supplied by Texas Democrat James Talarico’s campaign that showed him at his Austin home from Oct. 1 through Oct. 8. The campaign said he was recovering from the flu during his nine-day absence from in-person campaigning.
The images contradict an online claim that Talarico had traveled to an Ohio behavioral health center. The Times reviewed the footage but, at the campaign’s request, did not publish it, citing security concerns. The source material does not independently establish the images’ contents beyond the Times’ account.
Talarico’s campaign had said he was ill during the absence. He appeared remotely at a Sept. 30 event and told attendees he had the flu, according to the report. Speculation intensified after the campaign reposted a video from a February rally on Oct. 3 without initially labeling it as older footage; the campaign told the Times it routinely republishes past social media content.
The new reporting also drew questions about why the campaign did not offer evidence sooner. Republican strategist Mark Bednar and communications executive Matt Gorman criticized the campaign’s handling of the absence in comments to Fox News Digital. Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross said the footage could have been released earlier to counter the rumor.
Campaign spokesman JT Ennis called the claim a conspiracy theory and said Talarico was returning to the campaign trail after recovering from the flu. The campaign declined to provide additional comment after the Times report, according to Fox News Digital.
The source reports that Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate in Texas. The claims about the absence and the campaign’s response are attributed to the campaign and media reporting; the supplied material does not include independent access to the security footage.
