David Maxwell, a former Texas Ranger decorated for his decades of service, reported Paxton to the FBI in 2020.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former top law enforcement official endorsed Democratic state Rep. James Talarico on Tuesday in the state’s competitive U.S. Senate race.
David Maxwell, a former Texas Ranger decorated for his decades of service, reported Paxton to the FBI in 2020 for alleged abuse of office to criminally help one of his donors — an investigation that formed the basis of Paxton’s 2023 House impeachment. Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate, and the Justice Department declined to pursue federal charges.
Paxton fired Maxwell and other OAG staffers in alleged retaliation shortly after they reported him to the FBI.
Maxwell and his colleagues sued Paxton for violating the state’s whistleblower protections. A judge ruled that the state would pay Maxwell and his fellow plaintiffs more than $6 million in compensation.
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“Ken Paxton ended my five-decade career in public service because I blew the whistle on his corruption,” Maxwell said in a statement. “In Texas, no one is above the law — not even the Attorney General.”
Talarico often points to Paxton’s legal woes to cast him as unfit for office.
In addition to his impeachment and federal corruption investigation, Paxton was also subject to a state investigation into alleged securities fraud. Paxton settled that case without admitting to wrongdoing.
Paxton’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ad.
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