Paxton Whistleblower Backs Talarico in Senate Race

A former top aide to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has endorsed state Rep. James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race, citing his own experience reporting alleged corruption by his former boss. David Maxwell, who spent nearly 50 years in Texas law enforcement, including a decade as director of law enforcement for the attorney general's office, appears in a campaign advertisement released Tuesday. "Ken Paxton ended my five decade career because I blew the whistle on his corruption," Maxwell stated in the ad. Maxwell was among a group of senior staffers who reported Paxton to the FBI in 2020, alleging he improperly used his office to benefit a political donor, Nate Paul. The allegations became a central part of the impeachment proceedings brought against Paxton by the Texas House of Representatives in 2023. Although the House voted to impeach him, Paxton was later acquitted by the state Senate. Following their report to the FBI, Maxwell and other aides who filed a lawsuit under the Texas Whistleblower Act were awarded $6.6 million by a judge in April 2025. Paxton did not appeal the judgment but has not admitted wrongdoing.