Confidential files including deposition of Matt Gaetz accuser are breached, lawyers are told
Lawyers involved in a civil lawsuit brought by a close friend of former Rep. Matt Gaetz have been notified by another lawyer in the case that someone gained unauthorized access to several documents that have not been made public, including a deposition with a woman who says she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17-years-old.
The confidential files were stored on a secure online document-sharing system. Lawyers in the case received an email Monday night, informing them that unredacted copies of transcripts and other documents had been downloaded by an unknown third party, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
CNN has asked the lawyers if they have notified law enforcement authorities about the unauthorized access.
The allegations against Gaetz have received renewed scrutiny since Donald Trump announced the Florida Republican as his pick for attorney general. Gaetz resigned from Congress to pursue the post.
Several witnesses who gave depositions in the civil case have testified to the House ethics committee for its investigation into Gaetz, including the woman with whom Gaetz is accused of having sex with when she was a minor. The civil suit was brought by a Gaetz associate who owns the Florida house where the alleged 2017 sexual encounter with the underage girl occurred.
The ethics committee is meeting Wednesday to discuss their final report.
Gaetz has denied all of the allegations, and the Justice Department declined to bring criminal charges against him after a yearslong investigation.
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