The man accused of stealing $ 25 million from Rep. Matt Gaetz’s family tried to blackmail, admitted on Monday that he had asked the congressman’s father for cash, but denied that it was an abomination.
Bob Kent, a former Air Force intelligence officer, confirmed to Michael Smerconish, host of Sirius Radio, that he approached the father of the Republican Republic, Don Gaetz, last month for money.
The funds, according to Kent, had to be paid for the attempt to free Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007 and was presumed dead. Kent claims he has video evidence that Levinson is still alive and being held hostage.
Kent said he met Don Gaetz, a wealthy former Florida politician, in his office on March 17.
“I explained that I was not trying to blackmail him in any way and that he would never hear from me again if he decided not to help us,” Kent told Smerconish.
“Matt Gaetz needs good publicity, and I need $ 25 million to save Robert Levinson,” he added.
Kent insisted he did not want to blackmail the Gaetz family.
“I never threatened the man – it was actually the opposite: I told him if he decided not to help us, he would never hear from me again,” Kent said. ‘I can not help how it sounds. . ”
However, documents obtained by the Washington Examiner showed how Kent allegedly texted Don Gaetz and said he had a plan that could make his son’s future legal and political problems go away ‘.
Kent also gave Don a document called ‘Project Homecoming’ outlining the alleged federal investigation against Matt Gaetz and alleging that the FBI had photos of the legislature in a ‘sexual orgy with underage prostitutes’.
“Our strategy for Congressman Gaetz to mitigate his legal and political problems would be for him, or anyone else, to arrange the necessary funds to obtain the immediate release of Robert Levinson from exile in Iran,” the document reads.
Kent said the document was compiled by Stephen Alford, a developer in Florida who was previously accused of fraud.
Kent said the transfer of the funds would have been ‘above all else’, with the cash being led by David McGee, a former prosecutor who served as a lawyer for the Levinson family.
Don Gaetz contacted the FBI about the proposal and the agency is investigating whether it is an extortion attempt against the Gaetz clan, The Washington Post reported last week.
Kent said he was questioned by the FBI and is cooperating.
It is unclear how Kent and his groups knew Matt Gaetz, 38, was being investigated by the Justice Department.
The New York Times reported last week that the DOJ is investigating whether Gaetz paid a 17-year-old for sex and seduced her into traveling, violating federal laws against sex trafficking.
After the report broke out, Gaetz publicly linked the investigation to what he said was an extortion attempt against McGee against his family.
The former DOJ official said Gaetz’s accusation was false and told the Washington Post: “This is a blatant attempt to infer from the fact that he is being investigated for sex trafficking with minors.”
The investigation into Gaetz also focuses on whether the congressman paid to have sex with several women recruited online.
He denied the allegations.