Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is facing criticism after the family of a child sex abuse victim whose case he invoked publicly contradicted his claim and said they are ‘tired of being used’ in the election.
Background of the Case
Talarico held a news conference outside the office of his Senate opponent, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, at which he accused Paxton of giving an ‘Epstein-style sweetheart deal’ to former Waco, Texas, attorney Adam Hoffman. Hoffman originally was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child but pleaded guilty to indecent assault and displaying harmful material to a minor under a plea agreement negotiated by Paxton’s office.
A friend and spokesperson for the family, Melissa Dieterich, publicly disputed Talarico’s assertion that his team had been in contact with the family. Dieterich posted a note from the victim’s family on Facebook, which said, ‘We have not given any statement to Talarico. We have not spoken to him.’ The family expressed frustration, stating they are ‘tired of being used in this election’ and ‘tired of lies being told by both Paxton & Talarico, tired of the divide and just tired.’
Response from Talarico’s Campaign
A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, JT Ennis, told Fox News Digital that the family ‘has gone through hell’ and deserves respect. Ennis explained that Talarico’s team ‘facilitated outreach to offer our support and ensure the family has a way to get in touch at any time, for any reason.’ Ennis emphasized that Talarico is calling out the plea deal and demanding justice to stop similar cases from happening again.
The case has sparked controversy, with the victim’s mother initially agreeing to the plea agreement but later changing her mind. The mother accused the judge, police, and Paxton of having ‘bent the system’ and manipulating the deal, stating, ‘They made sure my son was in the room when they raised the plea deal — knowing he didn’t want to testify again — and they used that against him. They pushed the deal through with or without our approval. That is not justice. That is manipulation.’
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
