Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico is doing his level best to smear Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the case of Adam Hoffman. But this time, it looks like Talarico stepped in it.
Hoffman, a former Waco attorney, received a controversial plea deal that was negotiated with involvement from Paxton’s office. It reduced charges of continuous child sexual abuse of an eight-year-old boy to lesser offenses, which resulted in his being sentenced to about 29 days served. He will not be required to register as a sex offender.
During a press briefing last week, Talarico insinuated that his campaign has been in contact with the victim’s family and said Texas doesn’t “need any more pedophile protectors in our government.”
The candidate further stated that he “filed a public information request to “release the Hoffman files” and that Paxton “gave him a sweetheart deal, letting him out of jail after just 29 days.”
Understanding what Talarico is trying to do here is about as difficult as melting ice cubes in a furnace. He’s trying to concoct an Epstein-like narrative to convince people not to vote for Paxton.
Ken Paxton just denied our public information request for the Hoffman Files.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) July 10, 2026
Adam Hoffman — an admitted child molester — should be in prison, but Ken Paxton let him off the hook. Texans deserve to know why.
We don’t need any more pedophile protectors in our government. pic.twitter.com/xDi1f7Z1H9
But it didn’t quite go as well as his campaign would have hoped. Melissa Dieterich, a friend and spokesperson for the family, published a statement from the family on Facebook. “We have not given any statement to Talarico. We have not spoke to him. They are tired of being used in this election. We are tired of lies being told by both Paxton & Talarico, tired of the divide and just tired,” she wrote.
JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, told Fox News Digital that the family “has gone through hell” and “experienced something unimaginable”
He stated that the team “facilitated outreach to offer our support and ensure the family has a way to get in touch at any time, for any reason.”
If you’re going to try using Epstein’s crimes to smear a political opponent, it might be a good idea to refrain from exploiting victims who have nothing to do with Epstein just to score some cheap political points.