The name of the source behind Gawker’s widely-criticized article claiming that the brother of former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner paid for gay sex is Leif Derek Truitt, from Austin, Texas.

The Daily Caller reached the 33-year-old Truitt by phone late Thursday, shortly after Gawker published its hit piece.

Truitt, who works as an escort and as a porn star under the name Brodie Sinclair, did not directly confirm that he is the source of Gawker’s article, which was aimed at David Geithner, the chief financial officer of the media company, Condé Nast. But numerous circumstantial clues Truitt provided, comments he made, and clues from the Gawker article match information he has posted on his social media accounts and in male escort advertisements.

One strong clue was published by the website Got News, which discovered that an escort ad published by Truitt to the escort site HourBoy includes the same image as the one Gawker’s source claims he texted to Geithner.

Truitt also responded directly to questions about the Gawker article.

“Let me ask you question,” Truitt said to TheDC during the phone interview. “Do you think the Geithner family is an upstanding family? Do you think they’re honest people? You should do your research.”

Asked why he chose to go to Gawker with the information about Geithner, Truitt said “it’s a long story.”

“Gawker — I feel they’re brave,” he said. “They have their own reasons to be brave. They go against anybody. As long as it’s the truth, they’ll get it out. Doesn’t matter what it is.”

In the article, Truitt is given the pseudonym “Ryan.” According to Gawker, “Ryan” provided text messages and other information that he claimed showed that Geithner, who has a wife, had agreed to pay him $2,500 for sex. “Ryan” told Gawker that Geithner sent him $1,250 in cash through the mail before a scheduled meet-up that was to take place in Chicago on July 11.

Gawker published screenshots of the text messages, one of which allegedly was a selfie sent by Geithner. Geithner told Gawker he did not know who “Ryan” was.

After allegedly receiving the money, Truitt — or “Ryan” — said he decided to cross-reference Geithner’s phone number (“Ryan” said Geithner declined to provide his last name). “Ryan” reportedly discovered Geithner’s family ties and figured he could use the connection to help settle an ongoing housing dispute with his former landlord in Texas. “Ryan” told Gawker that his landlord claimed he was being evicted because he had a service dog that he needed for PTSD. But “Ryan” believed that he was given the boot because of his work in gay porn.

Records show that Truitt had a lien placed against him in September 2013, by Alexen Vistas, an apartment complex in Austin.

“Ryan” told Gawker he had taken his discrimination case to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) but that the agency found no probable cause to investigate. Truitt then contacted his senator, Ted Cruz. According “Ryan,” Cruz’s office notified him in May that nothing more could be done on his case.

[Update: A HUD spokesman confirmed to TheDC after publication that Truitt had filed a housing complaint and that it was indeed found to have no reasonable cause for further investigation.]

So “Ryan” reportedly asked Geithner to look at his paperwork in hopes he’d use his family’s influence to help with his case. Geithner allegedly looked at some of the documents but was confused about what “Ryan” wanted. Geithner allegedly later texted “Ryan” to say that he’d be unable to make it to their planned meeting in Chicago.

So that’s when “Ryan” contacted Gawker. The publication of the article set off a massive firestorm on Twitter. Most critics pointed out that the story was beyond the pale because Geithner is not a public figure. Others pointed out that Gawker has attacked other outlets for “outing” people.

In the article, the gossip website mentioned that “Ryan’s” Facebook page “contains a number of videos and photographs advocating for a variety of conspiracy theories.” But that characterization doesn’t even scratch the surface.

In addition to endorsing conspiracy theories, Truitt’s Facebook page indicates he has an apocalyptic worldview. In one video he spots a jet flying overhead and claims it is the military testing a nuclear ballistic shield protecting the U.S. Other posts show Truitt believes that 9/11 was carried out by the Russian government.

In another video, in which he calls President Barack Obama the “son of the Devil,” Truitt says that since 1980 the numbers “6-6-6” have been drawn 25 times in the Illinois state pick-three lottery. Truitt claimed that Obama spoke publicly on 11 of the days on which those numbers were drawn, evidence of some evil of some sort.

“I already figured it out. You were giving a speech 11 times,” Truitt says in the video. “Dirtbag,” he calls Obama. “That is a fact.”

This is Gawker’s source.

TheDC called the Austin-based phone number listed on Truitt’s numerous escort advertisements. The sex worker’s conspiratorial verve was evident in the interview.

When asked about the Gawker story, Truitt said: “I have some information that you can publish regarding national security information. I think it’s a lot bigger than what you’re talking about.”

“It’s more than just the stuff about HUD [Housing and Urban Development]?” TheDC asked.

“Yeah, oh yeah,” Truitt said. “This is a small story compared to other stories. This is a drop in the bucket.”

“I’m just a guy who is tired of injustice and corruption,” he said numerous times.

Asked again about his dispute with his ex-landlord and with HUD’s refusal to take his case, Truitt said “now I’m at war with my own government.”

Truitt is an Army veteran who served a tour in Iraq, he told TheDC. Pictures on Truitt’s Facebook page show him wearing an Army uniform.

Truitt also urged TheDC to contact both Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky. He said that both of the Republicans would be able to provide more details about what information he’s provided them.

Truitt did describe what the information might be, but he did say: “I’m the guy that is responsible for leaking the information to the families of the 9/11 victims.” He also claimed that based on that information — which he declined to describe — Paul will soon open up an investigation.

Truitt suggested that TheDC contact Cruz’s office to “tell them that you want to know why aren’t they speeding up the national security information that I told them.”

“Money’s not the objective,” Truitt said. Instead, providing and sharing information is his goal.

“Unfortunately, I’m just a guy who has a lot of information. I wish I didn’t,” he said, ticking off a list of major incidents he claims to have inside information about. Besides 9/11 he said he knows who was behind Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 which disappeared last March. He also said he knows who is responsible for the Amtrak crash which killed eight people in Pennsylvania in May.

He also recommended that TheDC refrain from flying because there will be more terrorist attacks, “courtesy of the United States’ best friends — the Russian government.”

This is Gawker’s source.

Records show that Truitt has several arrests on his record. Two are for assault of the family violence variety. One of those arrests came in December 2001. The other came in March 2007. In November 2002, he was arrested for theft by check.

Truitt, under the stage name Brodie Sinclair, is featured in numerous gay porn movies. He has also posted numerous ads to various escort websites such as Backpage.com. In a typical ad, he describes himself as looking like actors Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon. In one ad he claims he charges $700 per hour.

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