James Talarico’s campaign looks like it lied to Texas voters about him having the flu versus mental health issues. On Sunday independent investigator Rhein Amacher released audio of his call to the Lindner Center of Hope mental health facility in Mason, Ohio, where an employee said Talarico had been discharged from the facility within the previous 24–48 hours. The campaign told voters he had the flu and was recovering at home in Austin. The center provides inpatient mental health treatment. Talarico had been off the Texas campaign trail for more than a week after a September 28 New York fundraiser, then reappeared at Austin City Limits. His team is still calling the mental health reports a lie and sticking with the flu story. The recording is the first direct claim from someone answering the phone at the facility. Voters in Texas have a right to know where a Senate candidate spent that time. Early voting starts in days. If the Talarico campaign is still saying he was home with the flu while an employee at the Lindner Center is saying he was just discharged, one of those accounts is not true. Lying about it doesn’t help anyone, including Talarico. The job of a U.S. senator is high-pressure. Texans deserve a candidate who can handle it and who tells them the truth about his schedule. If this audio is accurate, the flu story was a cover and the public still hasn’t gotten a straight answer from the Talarico campaign.