On Sunday morning, independent journalist Nick Sortor gave James Talarico an ultimatum regarding his mysterious two-week absence from the campaign trail.
Sortor and Rhein Amacher gave Talarico until 1 p.m. ET Sunday to explain where he had been.
The Talarico campaign did not respond, and Sortor followed through with his promise, releasing audio suggesting that an Ohio mental health facility discharged Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate within the past few days.
Talarico’s campaign attributed the absence to the flu.
On the call, Amacher asks a woman who answers the phone at the Lindner Center of Hope whether the facility has anything for James Talarico. A long pause follows.
“It looks like he was just discharged this evening,” the employee says. “That’s why I don’t have it.”