Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher used the call to claim Talarico had been a patient at the mental health center near Cincinnati, an allegation Elon Musk amplified. Prominent MAGA supporters began deleting posts promoting the claim, The Bulwark’s Will Sommer reported. Sortor subsequently said he would release additional recordings on Oct. 12 to support his contention that the original audio was not fake or generated by AI.
The center had already rejected the treatment claim, stating: “Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.” Talarico also denied it, saying he had the flu. He returned to public campaigning on Oct. 9 at the Austin City Limits music festival after Republican opponent Ken Paxton’s campaign demanded “proof of life.”