Matt Gaetz's dad says he wore a wire for FBI probe into DOJ extortion claims

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico


By MATT DIXON and BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN 03/31/2021 01:25 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rep. Matt Gaetz’s father, Don, a former Florida Senate president, said he is working with the FBI, including wearing a wire on more than one occasion as part of an investigation into an alleged extortion plot that the pair said was organized by former federal prosecutor David McGee.

“The FBI asked me to try and get that information for Matt and an indication we would transfer money to Mr. David McGee,” Don Gaetz said in an interview late Tuesday, without specifying what information he was referring to.

McGee, who is now in private practice with a Pensacola, Fla.-based law firm, did not respond to a POLITICO request seeking comment, but told other media outlets there is no truth to the alleged extortion plot.

Don Gaetz said in the interview he wore a wire during a meeting earlier this month with McGee and said he was set to meet Wednesday with Stephen Alford, a local developer who he said is also part of the alleged extortion scheme. During that meeting, Don Gaetz said, he was again set to wear a wire and try to get Alford to talk about payments he allegedly was to make to McGee, but the meeting fell apart when news broke that his son was being investigated by the Justice Department. Alford did not respond to text messages seeking comment.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/03/31/gaetzs-father-backs-up-son-matts-claims-of-extortion-over-doj-probe-of-involvement-with-teen-1370695

[Joinfortmill]

1. DOJ needs to speak out about this, and soon.

[JohnSJ]

3. No they don't. This is an ongoing investigation started during the trump administration

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. They can point out that McGee left the DOJ in 1996

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/08/10/top-prosecutor-joins-law-firm/

"DOJ extortion claims" is a very misleading headline for Politico to use. The DOJ is investigating Gaetz; Gaetz claims that a man who worked there 25 years ago was attempting to get money to ... cover it up somehow. There are McGee extortion claims; if there's a connection still between McGee and someone actually in the DOJ, Gaetz needs to make it public.

[Evolve Dammit]

2. Well there's an odd twist...

[Sanity Claws]

4. Sounds like Daddy Gaetz was wearing a wire to trap someone

If he was doing it on his own, without law enforcement, then he may have been breaking the law. In some states, you need permission to record a conversation.

[FBaggins]

22. Sounds like the claim is that it's an FBI wire

[Leghorn21]

5. This Stephen Alford? - lots of articles about him

November 2015:

Stephen Alford has spent his career trying to score the big deal.

Unfortunately for him, he keeps getting caught.

His last major scam, selling off Okaloosa Island beach property owned by the Air Force, earned Alford 10 years in federal prison.

Now the 56-year-old area man is facing multiple felony charges for his alleged efforts to finagle $6 million profit out of a $7 million deal to purchase North Light Marina in Niceville.

https://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20151125/NEWS/151129480




Another, 2016:

The new charges were filed in connection with the same land deal. Investigators found “numerous documents” — both digital emails drafted on Alford’s Macbook laptop and hard copies of letters — and other evidence that Alford sent to several people to “authenticate his financial wherewithal ... to negotiate a multimillion dollar business investment,” the arrest report said.

The suspected scam is being investigated by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2006, Alford was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in an attempt to sell gulf-front property on Okaloosa Island that is owned by the U.S. Air Force. Three years later, in 2009, he was sentenced to five years in a state court on charges of theft and money laundering. That sentence ran concurrently with his federal sentence.

https://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20160215/NEWS/160219473

[Botany]

6. Hello Mr. Don Gaetz? This is the FBI and we need to speak to you.

So the DoJ under Trump and Barr was trying to extort money from Matt Gaetz?

[Scrivener7]

7. None of which says that Gaetz didn't transport a 17 year old across state lines for sex.

[WHITT]

10. Exactly

Nothing but a string of non-denial denials.

[WHITT]

8. If

Gaetz learned about the DOJ investigation, went to his father, who in an effort to twist the story to cover his son, went to the FBI with the extortion story. No reason the FBI wouldn't go along with a wire. The key is was there anything incriminating during the initial meeting? McGee says not.

If not, then the Gaetz team needed to blow-up their "investigation" before it became clear there was no there there, so Matt goes public.

[George II]

25. Speaking of that, if Gaetz had been with a "blow-up" instead of a 17-year old, no problem for him.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. Without any details I'm wondering if

it's an alternative reality explanation for a real estate deal - a cover story.

[aggiesal]

11. A non-denial denial ...

[KS Toronado]

12. Kinda like a reverse of "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

Apple's in trouble so the tree will lie for him.

[Marie Marie]

13. Daddy to the rescue, as usual. Daddy may not be able to get Matt out of this mess.

[ToxMarz]

14. He sounds like that Overstock CEO guy Patrick Byrne

NUTS

[PortTack]

15. No truth in the in alleged extortion plot..qgop to the core. Liars by nature

[PSPS]

16. Sounds like Don's story is fiction. Has the FBI corroborated any of what he claims?

[George II]

17. I wonder how the FBI and DOJ feel about Gaetz blowing their cover in the middle of an investigation?

[JohnnyRingo]

20. The NYT broke the story.

I don't know what to make of all this, but I hope it's an attempted smokescreen.

[George II]

21. I don't think the NYT mentioned the extortion or his father wearing a wire. That's trouble for him.

[JohnnyRingo]

23. You're right

Didn't think of it that way.

Although... I what the father is saying is right, the Times broke the story that Matt is being investigated for an underage affair. That would throw a wrench in the extortion sting operation

[George II]

24. That's the thing about Gaetz' interview on Tucker's show last night - he revealed information....

....previously unknown. Violated the first rule of a sworn deposition (although that wasn't a sworn deposition) - do NOT volunteer any information.

I'm sure his attorney is kicking him for that.

[WHITT]

19. UPDATE

According to the Washington Post, McGee said he did meet with Gaetz's father:

"If there is a tape, play the tape. There is nothing on that tape that is untoward. It is a pleasant conversation of a dad concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in."

RUH ROH.