Hacker gains access to testimony in Gaetz investigations

A hacker gained access to witness testimony related to investigations into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned from Congress last week after President-elect Trump tapped him for attorney general, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday.

The unidentified person, using the name “Altam Beezley,” downloaded the information on Monday afternoon, according to The New York Times, which was the first to report on the breach.

The file contained 24 exhibits and is said to include testimony from a woman who said she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, and testimony from another woman who said she witnessed the encounter, according to The Times.

The Times and CBS News reported that the file is part of a civil defamation case. The Times also reported it includes sealed files from the Justice Department and House Ethics Committee.

The materials do not appear to have been made public. Interest in the files may be at an all-time high, given Gaetz’s looming confirmation process.

The Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz for years over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other claims. Gaetz, whom the Justice Department declined to charge after investigating the same matters, has vigorously denied wrongdoing.

The Florida Republican resigned from Congress as the release of the Ethics Committee’s report was imminent, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill last week.

While the panel doesn’t generally release information about former lawmakers, the committee is facing mounting pressure to make its findings public.

Senators on both sides of the aisle have said they would like to see the report as they mull whether to confirm Gaetz as the nation’s top prosecutor, and on Monday Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the Ethics Committee, said she thinks the report should be released.