The Washington Examiner published documents Wednesday purporting to detail an extortion plot involving Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, his father Don Gaetz, a former Air Force intelligence officer, a former federal prosecutor, and former FBI agent Robert Levinson.

The Examiner report comes one day after the New York Times reported that the Department of Justice is investigating “whether [Rep. Gaetz] had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.”

The Examiner shared screenshots of items reportedly in Gaetz’s possession that appear to support his claim that he is the victim of an extortion scheme.

A text message his father Don Gaetz reportedly received on March 16 from former Air Force intelligence officer Bob Kent appears to reference a “plan” that can make Matt Gaetz’s “future legal and political problems go away.” The message makes an oblique reference to “the current federal investigation, and the indictment that is about to be filed against your son.”

The message goes on to detail an alleged attempt to rescue Levinson, if both Don and Matt Gaetz are “willing to help us privately.”

The next day, according to the Examiner, Don Gaetz met with Kent and attorney David McGee, who represents the Levinson family. At that time, Don Gaetz was reportedly presented with a document outlining “Project Homecoming,” which “detailed a plan to save Levinson at the cost of a $25 million loan.”

The “Project Homecoming” document, according to the Examiner, notes that Gaetz is under investigation by the FBI.

“In exchange for the funds being arranged, and upon the release of Mr. Levinson, the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of the United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz,” the document apparently says.

“The team has been assured by the President that he will strongly consider such matters because he considers the release of Robert Levinson a matter of National Urgency,” the document says.

Levinson is believed to have been kidnapped in 2007 by the government of Iran while on an unauthorized CIA mission. In March 2020, the Levinson family announced that the U.S. government concluded that Levinson died while in Iranian custody.

The third document in the Examiner story appears to be a March 25 email between Jeffrey Neiman, representing Don Gaetz, and the Department of Justice. Neiman asked for confirmation that the DOJ and the FBI want Don Gaetz’s help in investigating the alleged extortion scheme.

“I can confirm that your client is working with my office as well as the FBI at the government’s request in order to determine if a federal crime has been committed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Goldberg responded, according to the Examiner. “This has been discussed with, and approved by, the FBI as well as the leadership of my office and components of Main Justice.”

Gaetz has denied all sex trafficking allegations against him. David McGee’s law firm said that Gaetz’s allegation against him is “false and defamatory.”

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