New evidence debunks Talarico mental hospital rumor after 'numbing failure' fueled firestorm.

James Talarico's campaign released security footage to debunk the Ohio rehab rumor, but critics question why the evidence wasn't released sooner.

Waters: The Mysterious Disappearance of James Talarico | Abdul is checked

Jesse Waters reacts to James Talarico's two-week hiatus from the campaign due to the flu and the debate between Abdel-Al-Said and Mike Rogers.

A viral rumor that Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico spent his recent campaign absence in secret at a behavioral health facility in Ohio has now been debunked — but new questions are being raised about why evidence that could have quickly undermined the allegation was not made public as the speculation went viral.

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

The images, which the campaign provided to The Times on condition that they not be published for security reasons, provide the clearest independent evidence yet that supports Talarico's account that he was at home recovering from the flu — and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

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But the revelation also drew criticism from some observers about why Talarico's campaign didn't provide similar verifiable evidence earlier, before an unsubstantiated theory about his whereabouts mushroomed on social media and was fueled by prominent conservatives.

Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter for the Washington Free Beacon, cited Ambassador Orjans' report on Monday, writing in the X that the footage "may have been released a week ago, denying the rumors."

Throughout his absence, Talarico's campaign believed he was recovering from the flu, and Talarico actually appeared at an event on September 30 visibly ill, telling attendees he was frustrated with the illness. But as election day approached, his prolonged absence from in-person campaigning became increasingly the subject of speculation.

The speculation gained momentum 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 that it routinely reposts older social media content.

Meanwhile, Ennis turned his attention to 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 questions from Texans in a debate, which even President Trump asked him to do," Ennis said. "The ball is in Paxton's court."