--- title: "David Maxwell, former Texas AG aide, endorses James Talarico in Senate race" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-09T03:45:35.465Z" source_reported: "2026-09-08T22:43:22.000Z" updated: "2026-09-09T03:45:35.465Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-09T04:30:19.952335+00:00" --- # David Maxwell, former Texas AG aide, endorses James Talarico in Senate race *The whistleblower who sued Ken Paxton and testified at his impeachment now backs the Democrat in a new online ad* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Trust 70 – multiple independent outlets name Maxwell and $6.6 million judgment, no anonymous sourcing. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87 – provides context, quotes Maxwell, separates facts, includes specific names and $6.6 million figure. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15 – language is measured, no clickbait or exaggerated headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - David Maxwell, former top aide to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, endorsed Democrat James Talarico in a new online ad - Maxwell testified against Paxton at the 2023 impeachment trial after reporting him to the FBI in 2020 - A Texas judge ordered the state to pay $6.6 million to Maxwell and three other former aides for the whistleblower lawsuit - The ad quotes Maxwell saying Paxton ended his five‑decade public‑service career David Maxwell, who spent nearly five decades in Texas law‑enforcement agencies and served as director of law enforcement for the attorney general’s office, has publicly backed James Talarico for the U.S. Senate. Maxwell and other senior officials filed a whistle‑blower lawsuit after reporting Attorney General Ken Paxton to the FBI in 2020 for allegedly using his office to aid donor Nate Paul. A state judge awarded Maxwell and three former aides $6.6 million in damages. Maxwell also testified at Paxton’s 2023 impeachment trial, where the Republican‑controlled Senate acquitted Paxton. The endorsement appears in an online ad that quotes Maxwell stating that Paxton ended his five‑decade career. > Ken Paxton ended my five‑decade career in public service because I blew the whistle on his corruption. > > — David Maxwell, former director of law enforcement for Texas Attorney General ## Omissions None of the centre‑rated digests mention the $6.6 million judgment awarded to Maxwell and the other whistle‑blowers. None of the centre‑rated digests include Maxwell’s direct quote that Paxton ended his five‑decade career. The right‑rated digest also omits the $6.6 million award and Maxwell’s quotation. **$6.6 million** — Judgment award (Paid to Maxwell and three other former aides after their whistle‑blower lawsuit) ## Who covered it Shares of the 11 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 46% (5) - Centre: 45% (5) - Right: 9% (1) 0 of 11 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-09T04:30:19.952335+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-09T05:00:36.323Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The San Antonio Current highlighted Maxwell’s long law‑enforcement career, his praise of Talarico as “the best of the best” and his description of Paxton as a crook. It reproduced Maxwell’s statement, “Ken Paxton ended my five‑decade career in public service because I blew the whistle on his corruption.” The Joe.My.God report stressed that the Senate race is one of the most costly and hotly contested contests in the country and repeated the $6.6 million judgment figure. Both left‑rated outlets quoted Maxwell’s direct words and framed the endorsement as a rebuke of Paxton’s ethics. ### Centre - Centre‑rated digests from The Hill, WFAA 8abc, The Gilmer Mirror, KSAT 12 and Political Wire reported that Maxwell, a former top aide, appears in a Talarico ad and that he had reported Paxton to the FBI and testified at the impeachment trial. They noted his role as a whistle‑blower but did not reproduce his direct quote or mention the $6.6 million judgment awarded to the whistle‑blowers. ### Right - The Washington Examiner digest focused on Maxwell’s former position as a top law‑enforcement official under Paxton, his firing after reporting Paxton to the FBI, and his current endorsement of Talarico. The piece did not include the monetary award or Maxwell’s personal statement about Paxton. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 9 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4717494/ken-paxton-former-official-david-maxwell-endorse-james-talarico-senate) — Ken Paxton's former 'top cop' endorses James Talarico in Texas Senate race - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6077568-talarico-ad-ex-paxton-aide) — Former Texas attorney general aide, Paxton whistleblower backs Talarico in attack ad - [WFAA 8abc](https://wfaa.com/article/news/politics/elections/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-texas-us-senate-race/287-9b549f06-9657-4a75-822d-3fb11e8fec21) — Ken Paxton whistleblower endorses James Talarico in Texas’ US Senate race - [The Gilmer Mirror](https://gilmermirror.com/2026/09/08/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-in-texas-u-s-senate-race) — Ken Paxton whistleblower endorses James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/08/paxtons-former-top-law-enforcement-official-endorses-talarico) — Paxton’s former top law enforcement official endorses Talarico - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/ken-paxton-2677831921) — Ken Paxton's ex-law enforcement chief gets revenge — with a staggering endorsement - [San Antonio Current](https://sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-in-texas-u-s-senate-race) — Ken Paxton whistleblower endorses James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race - [KSAT 12](https://ksat.com/news/texas/2026/09/08/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-in-texas-us-senate-race) — Ken Paxton whistleblower endorses James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race - [The Texas Tribune](https://texastribune.org/2026/09/08/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-texas-senate-david-maxwell) — Paxton whistleblower endorses Talarico in Texas Senate race - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/paxtons-former-top-aide-appears-in-ad-for-talarico) — Paxton’s Former Top Aide Appears In Ad For Talarico - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/08/paxton-aide-turned-whistle-blower-appears-in-talarico-ad) — Paxton Aide Turned Whistle-Blower Appears in Talarico Ad ## Questions **Who is endorsing James Talarico in the Senate race?** David Maxwell, the former director of law enforcement for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, appears in an online ad endorsing the Democratic candidate. Maxwell is a former Texas Ranger and long‑time law‑enforcement official who became a whistle‑blower against Paxton. **What was the result of the whistle‑blower lawsuit against the state?** A Texas judge ordered the state to pay $6.6 million to David Maxwell and three other former aides who sued under the Texas Whistleblower Act after being fired for reporting Attorney General Ken Paxton to the FBI. **What did Maxwell say about Ken Paxton in the endorsement?** Maxwell said, “Ken Paxton ended my five‑decade career in public service because I blew the whistle on his corruption,” a statement that appears in the campaign ad released by James Talarico’s campaign. **When did Maxwell testify against Paxton?** Maxwell testified at Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in 2023, where he described Paxton’s attempts to use his office to benefit donor Nate Paul. The Republican‑controlled Texas Senate ultimately acquitted Paxton. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "David Maxwell, former Texas AG aide, endorses James Talarico in Senate race", https://mediabias.news/politics/david-maxwell-former-texas-ag-aide-endorses-james-talarico-in-senate-race