An apparent hack of a computer file containing potentially damaging witness testimony against former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz became the latest dramatic turn Tuesday in the controversy surrounding Gaetz’s nomination by President-elect Donald Trump as U.S. attorney general.
The hacked file, part of a civil lawsuit, contains 24 exhibits, including unredacted deposition transcripts, a lawyer familiar with the case confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel. One of the depositions is said to be from a woman who testified she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17. An “unauthorized” user with the name Altam Beezley accessed the file, according to a notice provided to lawyers.
So far, it does not appear the hacker has made the information public, but the breach, first reported by The New York Times, raises questions about what may become public in coming days. The hacked documents are confidential filings in a civil defamation lawsuit brought by Chris Dorworth, a Central Florida lobbyist close to Gaetz, against former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is serving an 11-yearprison sentence after pleading guilty to sex-trafficking and other federal charges. The hack came amid mounting calls that a House ethics committee make public its findings against the North Florida Republican, who resigned from Congress last week after Trump picked him to become the nation’s top prosecutor.
The panel — which has been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit dr.
