Major GOP Contributor Founded Ohio Center
that Says Talarico Was Never Patient There
S. Carl Lindner Has Given Millions of Dollars to Trump and National Republican Committees
as Wealthy Ohio Resident Including Some Paxton Could be Spending on Senate Campaign
Capitol Inside
October 12, 2026
A mental health facility whose owner and founder is one of the biggest contributors to President Donald Trump and the GOP in the country announced on Sunday night that Democratic U.S. Senate contender James Talarico had never been a patient there like Texas Republican Ken Paxton has been claiming.
The Lindner Center of Hope in the Ohio city of Mason fired a torpedo into conspiracy theory that Paxton's camp had been pushing for several days after Talarico turned up missing for more than a week from the campaign trail while recovering from the flu. The Texas attorney general and his allies had woven a narrative that had Talarico seeking treatment at the Lindner Center for a nervous breakdown before catching a private jet back to Austin on Friday for a superficial appearance at the ACL music festival in Zilker Park.
Paxton's team was in full-fledged denial mode on Monday while insisting that the wild tale about the Democratic opponent wasn't fabricated as a desperation Hail Mary for a Senate campaign that's struggled mightily and is counting now on money from Washington D.C. to bail him out.
Talarico in the meantime declared in a social media post on Monday that he'd never even been to the state of Ohio - an admission that Republicans have 21 days to try to discredit before the midterm election November 3.
After demanding proof of life from Talarico for several days, Paxton's campaign thought they'd found a way to prove to the rumors true with the posting on social media of a purported telephone conversation with a Lindner Center employee who was glad to give a random caller all the information they wanted on Talarico. But the audio recording of the ostensible call appeared to have been fabricated when Lindner official insisted on Sunday that no one on their staff would have given out information in blatant violation of federal privacy protection laws.
The Lindner Center was co-founded by S. Craig Lindner and a brother who's no longer alive. Lindner has been the chief executive officer and majority owner for American Financial Group for more than two full decades. His late sibling's son - Carl Lindner III - has been a major force in the family businesses as well.
Lindner has given millions of dollars to Republican candidates and committees including the current president who received hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaign in 2024 from the wealthy Ohio businessman who created the psychiatric center where Paxton's camp says Talarico sought treatment for a breakdown.
Paxton could be spending Lindner money on the Texas Senate race. Lindner donated $113,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee this year. The co-founder of the Lindner Center gave $100,000 in 2020 to the Senate Leadership Fund, which has poured an estimated $130 million into the Paxton campaign in a belated attempt to save the Texas seat for the GOP.
Lindner contributed more than $1 million to the Trump campaign in 2024 through various political action committee with $250,000 in one chunk to the Trump 47 Committee for his third White House bid. Lindner has been on the Forbes list of billionaires since 2010.
A key question now is whether Lindner, or family members or the foundation that oversees the treatment facility will be filing lawsuits for defamation or other civil offenses as a consequence of the Paxton Republicans' attempts to make it appear like Talarico was a patient there without any evidence beyond the telephone call that appears to have been a hoax.
A far-right activist named Nic Sorter claims to have made the call to the Lindner Center fishing for confidential information on Talarico.
more to come ...
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