Conservative journalist Carmine Sabia issued an apology Tuesday for promoting a false report about Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, prompting critics to suspect Sabia had only apologized to avoid legal liability.
Over the weekend, MAGA world went into a frenzy over an allegation that Talarico, who’s running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, had been treated at a mental health facility in Ohio. Talarico’s campaign called the claim a lie, saying he was home in Austin recovering from the flu. The story quickly fell apart after analysts spotted details that made its timeline impossible.
Sabia was among many conservative figures who promoted the story, and he expressed regret in a statement published on social media.
“I apologize for sharing the false report about James Talarico receiving mental health treatment,” Sabia wrote. “I relied on the reporting available then, but I got it wrong and retract it. I support Ken Paxton, but the truth matters more than winning on a lie.”
In his post, Sabia also shared a custom-made graphic reiterating his retraction, something The Bulwark’s Will Sommer zeroed in on.
“The Talarico nervous breakdown story has become so discredited, conservative pundits are making personalized retraction graphics,” Sommer wrote in a post on X.
Others, such as commentator Adam Cochran, speculated that Sabia “got a call from the lawyers,” a suspicion shared by author John A. Daly, who quipped, “I’m guessing someone got a call from a lawyer.”
“Well now I’ve seen everything,” The Bulwark’s Andrew Egger wrote in response to Sabia’s apology.
Even Eric Spracklen, a political commentator who identifies with the MAGA movement, told his followers on X that the false Talarico story was “embarrassing” for everyone involved in promoting it.
“This is so embarrassing and discrediting for everyone involved it’s actually insane,” Spracklen wrote, reacting to Sabia’s apology.
I'm guessing someone got a call from a lawyer.
— John A. Daly (@JohnDalyBooks) October 13, 2026