The ad focuses on Waco attorney Adam Hoffman, who avoided felony convictions after he was accused of sexually abusing a boy under the age of 10 for years. The ad features footage of Hoffman leaving jail as a narrator says Hoffman “should have spent his life in prison. Instead, Attorney General Ken Paxton offered him one day in jail.” The narrator describes the plea agreement struck by prosecutors in the attorney general’s office as an “Epstein-style sweetheart deal for a well-connected child predator.”
Paxton has come under bipartisan criticism for the way his office handled the case. Talarico is seeking to connect Paxton to public anger over the favorable treatment Jeffrey Epstein received in his initial prosecution. It also reinforces Talarico’s criticism of Paxton’s ethics and judgment.
Prosecutors in Paxton’s office took over the Hoffman prosecution after the McLennan County district attorney’s office cited a conflict. The first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked. Prosecutors then reached a plea agreement with Hoffman after the victim declined to testify again. The deal called for one day in jail, but a judge imposed a 60-day sentence on two misdemeanor charges. Hoffman served about half that time. The ad’s one-day figure refers to the punishment prosecutors proposed, not the sentence Hoffman ultimately received. Hoffman’s defense attorney has rejected suggestions of political influence and defended the agreement.
Paxton response: Paxton addressed the attack ads at a recent business forum, saying protecting the victim took priority over securing a conviction. “It’s more important to make sure that this kid is protected than to get the verdict that we actually want. So it’s so dishonest to present it any other way,” he said.
