Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has only been an official GOP Senate nominee for a few days, and he’s already dealing with fallout from a controversial offer that his office made to a pedophile.

During an interview with CBS News, Democratic candidate James Talarico was asked to respond to a childish nickname that Paxton has used to describe him, “Talafreako.”

“If Ken Paxton is worried about freaks, he should stop giving Epstein-style sweetheart deals to pedophiles. This is the guy who just released Adam Hoffman from jail, an admitted child rapist, after one of Ken Paxton’s wealthy lawyer friends got involved in the case,” Talarico said.

Talarico went on to say that Paxton is “the most corrupt politician in America.”

The controversy stems from a plea deal that Paxton’s office negotiated with Hoffman, a former attorney from Waco, Texas. After being charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy, Hoffman was facing a possible life sentence without parole.

But after Paxton’s team negotiated with Hoffman, he instead pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and would serve just one day in jail.

Conservative Judge Roy Sparkman was incredulous about the offer, according to court transcripts, insisting that Hoffman serve 60 days instead. Hoffman was released on Monday after only serving 29 days of his sentence.

Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in the primary, previously criticized the lenient sentence.

“Paxton could have stopped this one, but instead cut him loose to reoffend over and over again, putting more children at risk,” Cornyn wrote on X.

The Hoffman controversy is just one of Paxton’s many scandals, including allegations of multiple affairs and an impeachment drive sparked by alleged bribery and abuse of power.

Paxton’s current pedophile scandal has arisen as the Epstein files continue to be a major headache for President Donald Trump and other Republicans.

Trump’s administration has blocked efforts to release the Epstein files in their entirety, which has raised concerns as Trump has personal ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including sending him a lewd birthday card.

Trump’s endorsement of Paxton was a key catalyst in his primary victory, but the nomination of the scandal-plagued Republican has turned what should be an easy GOP win into an uphill battle.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos