Paxton’s Uvalde Comment in Full Context

A radio interview Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gave five days after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting is back in circulation, this time as ammunition in his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.

Talarico's campaign and the Democratic Party have shared a six-second snippet in which Paxton says there is always a plan and God always has a plan. The fuller recording shows Paxton opening with a description of the shooting as evil and grappling, however awkwardly, with the senselessness of children being killed before offering the disputed line about divine purpose.

The 2022 remarks drew real criticism at the time, including from a Parkland victim's father and editorial boards, for what they called a cold or resigned response. Paxton also used the same interview to argue against new gun restrictions and for arming school staff, a position that has its own separate track record of criticism the six-second clip conveniently leaves out.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.