Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended his office’s handling of a plea offer in the Adam Hoffman child-sex-abuse case during a public forum, prompting immediate criticism. Records show Paxton’s account differed from court documents: a proposed one-day plea would have downgraded felony charges to misdemeanors and avoided sex-offender registration; the judge instead imposed a 60-day sentence, of which Hoffman served 29 days. The exchange went viral and has become an additional political liability for Paxton as he trails Democrat James Talarico.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faced swift backlash after defending his office’s handling of a plea offer in the child-sex-abuse case of Waco attorney Adam Hoffman during a public candidate forum.
Speaking at the United States Hispanic Business Council’s “In Dialogue: TEXAS” Q&A, Paxton raised the Hoffman case unprompted while answering a question about child sex trafficking and accused his opponent’s ad of misrepresenting the facts. The exchange was widely shared on social media and drew sharp criticism from reporters, opponents and advocates.
What Paxton Said
“I’ve had to deal with this crazy ad that’s been running against me, saying that I let this predator out of jail. It’s not quite as it’s presented… We got a 7-5 jury split… our child witness didn’t want to testify again… The criticism has been that I let a child predator out, having one day. Well, guess what? They served 60 days… We wanted to re-try it, and then we decided, ‘You know what? We need to protect this kid.’”
How The Record Differs
Court records and reporting show several key differences from Paxton’s account:
- The plea that Paxton’s office reportedly offered would have reduced a felony charge of "continuous sexual abuse of a young child" to two misdemeanors — "indecent assault" and "display of harmful materials to a minor" — and would not have required Hoffman to register as a sex offender.
- The judge rejected that proposed one-day jail deal, imposed a 60-day sentence and required Hoffman to surrender his Texas law license.
- Hoffman served 29 days of that sentence and was released in late May; he surrendered his Texas bar license in July and maintains an inactive Nebraska license.
- Court documents show Hoffman agreed to a statement acknowledging he touched the victim’s genitals with sexual intent, but plea paperwork did not specify the victim’s age and did not require sex-offender registration.
Context And Reaction
Hoffman was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy between the ages of 8 and 10. Paxton’s campaign and allies have argued the alleged victim’s reluctance to testify again and a 7–5 jury split after the first trial shaped the office’s decisions. Critics, however, noted Paxton misstated or oversimplified key details — particularly who imposed the 60-day sentence and how many days were actually served — and questioned why he brought up the case during a tight statewide campaign.
The episode has been cited by journalists and opponents as another vulnerability for Paxton as he trails Democratic nominee James Talarico in polls and fundraising. The clip’s viral spread intensified scrutiny of Paxton’s handling of the case and fed broader political attacks ahead of the general election.
Reporting Sources: Media accounts and court records, including coverage by The Texas Tribune, informed this reconstruction of events.
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