![\"State](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TalaricoHoffmanPresser.jpg\" "\\"State")
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State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, held a news conference on July 9, 2026 after Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s office withheld records related to a child sexual abuse case. He\u2019s facing Paxton, a Republican, in the November general election. <\/p>\n
Eleanor Dearman<\/p>\n
Democrat James Talarico blasted Republican Ken Paxton on Thursday after Paxton\u2019s office declined to release records in a child sexual abuse case that\u2019s become a flashpoint in their U.S. Senate campaign.<\/p>\n
Talarico, an Austin-area state representative, has pushed for the release of what he\u2019s dubbed the \u201cHoffman files\u201d \u2014 emails, internal memos, text messages and other documents related to a plea deal in former Waco attorney Adam Hoffman\u2019s criminal case out of McLennan County<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hoffman was arrested in 2022 and accused of continuous sexual abuse of a child. Local district attorneys typically handle criminal cases, but Paxton\u2019s office took over after the county\u2019s district attorney recused himself.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s office has defended its work, arguing that prosecutors did all they could to ensure justice was achieved.<\/p>\n The plea bargain was also fuel for attacks<\/a> ahead of May\u2019s Republican primary runoff, where Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.<\/p>\n Talarico in June filed a request under the state\u2019s public information law<\/a> seeking communications and records related to the case. He announced Thursday that Paxton\u2019s office had denied the request. He hopes for a bipartisan push for the documents\u2019 release that\u2019s large enough to pressure Paxton into releasing the information.<\/p>\n Texans deserve answers about what Talarico has described as an \u201cEpstein-style sweetheart deal,\u201d he told reporters at a news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s why we\u2019re going to keep fighting for transparency,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s why we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said Talarico \u201cis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n During a news conference Thursday, Talarico said there are ways to ensure accountability and release information while also protecting privacy.<\/p>\n A 2025 trial in the case ended with a deadlocked jury<\/a> and a mistrial was declared, according to KWTX-TV, a Waco-area television station. Paxton\u2019s office has said the victim did not want to testify again<\/a> to avoid being re-traumatized.<\/p>\n Hoffman was facing up to a life sentence without parole, but prosecutors offered a misdemeanor plea deal that included a 30-day jail sentence.<\/a> That sentence was doubled by a judge overseeing the case, according to KWTX.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Hoffman was released from jail<\/a> after serving about half of the 60 day sentence. It\u2019s typical for the county jail to give incarcerated people reduced jail time for good behavior<\/a>, per the Waco TV station.<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t required to register as a sex offender in Texas but has registered as one<\/a> in Sarpy County in Nebraska, where he lives.<\/a><\/p>\n Talarico\u2019s campaign has highlighted statements from the victim\u2019s family<\/a> criticizing the attorney general office\u2019s handling of the case.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s nothing to hide, then the attorney general should feel comfortable releasing this information,\u201d Talarico said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s suspicious when we request this information and it\u2019s denied, especially in a case where so many Texans have legitimate concerns, legitimate questions.\u201d<\/p>\n Staff writer Rachel Royster contributed to this report.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM.<\/p>\n Eleanor Dearman<\/a><\/p>\n Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She\u2019s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
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