‘Suspicious’: Talarico says Paxton won’t release records in child sexual abuse case
Democrat James Talarico blasted Republican Ken Paxton on Thursday after Paxton’s office declined to release records in a child sexual abuse case that’s become a flashpoint in their U.S. Senate campaign.
Talarico, an Austin-area state representative, has pushed for the release of what he’s dubbed the “Hoffman files” — emails, internal memos, text messages and other documents related to a plea deal in former Waco attorney Adam Hoffman’s criminal case out of McLennan County.
Hoffman was arrested in 2022 and accused of continuous sexual abuse of a child. Local district attorneys typically handle criminal cases, but Paxton’s office took over after the county’s district attorney recused himself.
A plea deal in the case resulted in Hoffman serving 29 days in jail. Talarico has criticized it as a deal cut for a well-connected lawyer, while Paxton’s office has defended its work, arguing that prosecutors did all they could to ensure justice was achieved.
The plea bargain was also fuel for attacks ahead of May’s Republican primary runoff, where Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
Talarico in June filed a request under the state’s public information law seeking communications and records related to the case. He announced Thursday that Paxton’s office had denied the request. He hopes for a bipartisan push for the documents’ release that’s large enough to pressure Paxton into releasing the information.
Texans deserve answers about what Talarico has described as an “Epstein-style sweetheart deal,” he told reporters at a news conference.
“It’s why we’re going to keep fighting for transparency,” he said. “It’s why we’re going to keep fighting to ensure Texans get their questions answered about why a pedophile was let back into our street after just 29 days in jail.”
The records are being withheld because they involve a child sexual abuse investigation and prosecution, according to a copy of the July 2 denial note shared by Talarico’s campaign.
Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said Talarico “is so obsessed with obtaining private information about a child that he chooses, at every turn, to re-victimize the child victim for personal gain. OAG prosecutors have already released information on this.”
During a news conference Thursday, Talarico said there are ways to ensure accountability and release information while also protecting privacy.
A 2025 trial in the case ended with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial was declared, according to KWTX-TV, a Waco-area television station. Paxton’s office has said the victim did not want to testify again to avoid being re-traumatized.
Hoffman was facing up to a life sentence without parole, but prosecutors offered a misdemeanor plea deal that included a 30-day jail sentence. That sentence was doubled by a judge overseeing the case, according to KWTX.
Before the longer sentence was proposed, prosecutors were looking at a deal that would have resulted in one day of jail time, according to a joint article from The Texas Newsroom, the KWBU radio station and The Texas Tribune.
Hoffman was released from jail after serving about half of the 60 day sentence. It’s typical for the county jail to give incarcerated people reduced jail time for good behavior, per the Waco TV station.
He isn’t required to register as a sex offender in Texas but has registered as one in Sarpy County in Nebraska, where he lives.
Talarico’s campaign has highlighted statements from the victim’s family criticizing the attorney general office’s handling of the case.
The hotel where Talarico spoke Thursday is near the attorney general and Texas Bar offices in downtown Austin. Hoffman is no longer authorized to practice law in the state.
“If there’s nothing to hide, then the attorney general should feel comfortable releasing this information,” Talarico said. “But I think it’s suspicious when we request this information and it’s denied, especially in a case where so many Texans have legitimate concerns, legitimate questions.”
Staff writer Rachel Royster contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM.
