A former Air Force officer accused of being involved in an alleged extortion racket against the family of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) denied the accusations on Monday. Bob Kent said he did take part in an effort to solicit $25 million from Gaetz’s father, former Florida state Sen. Don Gaetz, but denied that the effort was extortion. “I explained in no way was I trying to extort him and if he decided not to help he’d never hear from me again and I wouldn’t go to the press,” Kent said during an interview with Michael Smerconish’s radio show. Documents published by the Washington Examiner outlined the alleged extortion scheme, which has been probed by the Department of Justice. The scheme involved asking Don Gaetz for $25 million to try to secure the release of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who was apprehended by Iranian authorities in 2007. Text messages …