Talarico was at home in Texas during campaign trail absence, photos appear to show

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico's campaign shared security camera footage with CBS News that appears to show Talarico at his home in Texas for the first eight days of this month — pushing back on claims that Talarico was hiding the reasons for his disappearance.

But on Monday, Talarico's campaign shared a set of security camera images that they say show the state lawmaker and Democratic candidate at his home in Texas every day from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8, one day before Talarico made a public appearance.

Talarico campaign spokesman J.T. Ennis said in a statement that claims Talarico was elsewhere were "a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory."

"Last week James Talarico was home in Austin, Texas recovering from the flu," Ennis said.

Talarico was not seen in public for just under two weeks, from late September to late Friday.

On Sept. 30, Talarico pulled out of an in-person conversation with Javier Palomarez, president of the United States Hispanic Business Council. He instead appeared for a virtual Q&A.

"I was starting to feel under the weather a few days ago," Talarico told the audience, apologizing for not appearing in person. "And last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas and I was diagnosed with the flu. So I'm running a fever and I'm at my most contagious right now." (He later told a reporter he went to his primary care physician.)

The following week, President Trump traveled to San Antonio to campaign with Paxton. The president and Paxton, the state attorney general, both referenced Talarico's absence.

Earlier in the rally, Paxton said: "When I came in here today, we were on day 11 of James Talarico not showing up in public and canceling all public appearances. Where do you think they hid that little socialist?" He then had the audience yell "Where Is James Talarico?" in unison.

On the same day, Talarico told CBS News in a text: "Feeling much better. Back on the trail!"

Talarico had several other public appearances over the weekend, attending a Kasey Musgraves concert in San Antonio on Saturday and giving interviews on Sunday to NBC's Dallas-Fort Worth station and The Dallas Morning News' editorial board.

Paxton suggested something was amiss, saying Talarico "owes Texans answers."