Hospital Denies Treating James Talarico After Online Claim

A claim that Texas Senate candidate James Talarico had secretly received mental health treatment in Ohio spread online over the weekend, amplified by Elon Musk, but the Lindner Center of Hope said Talarico had never been treated there. Talarico and his campaign also rejected the allegation, saying he had been recovering from the flu in Austin. The claim was advanced by social media personalities Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher, who circulated an audio recording they described as a call with a hospital employee. The recording does not independently establish that Talarico was a patient. The identity and authorization of the caller have not been established in the supplied reporting. In the clip, an unidentified employee appears to say she could not find a record for Talarico, then refers to a discharge on Saturday night. Sortor presented the exchange as confirmation of treatment. The hospital’s statement directly denied that account, saying Talarico had never received treatment at the facility. Talarico’s campaign said he was in Austin recovering from the flu. Talarico also wrote that he had never been to Ohio.