Former IRS Employee Charged with Leaking Tax Returns of High-Ranking Official: Alleged Target Trump
In a recent development, a former employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been charged by US federal prosecutors for allegedly leaking the tax returns of a high-ranking government official. While the name of the official has not been mentioned in court documents, sources suggest that the tax returns in question belong to former President Donald Trump.
The accused, Charles Edward Littlejohn, aged 38, worked at the IRS from 2018 to 2020. According to court documents, he is accused of stealing tax returns and return information associated with Public Official A and sharing this information with a news organization. It is reported that Littlejohn not only stole the former President’s tax documents but also obtained IRS information on thousands of wealthy individuals dating back more than 15 years.
The specific news organizations involved have not been named, and they have not been accused of any wrongdoing. However, it is known that both The New York Times and ProPublica published articles based on tax records of wealthy Americans, including the former President’s, in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
The New York Times’ article in 2020, believed to be generated from the leaked information, claimed that former President Trump paid only $750 in federal income tax in both 2016, the year he ran for the presidency, and his first year in the White House. The article also alleged that he did not pay any income taxes in 10 out of the previous 15 years, and the disclosed records unveiled chronic losses and years of tax avoidance.
As of now, both The New York Times and ProPublica have declined to comment on the recent charges brought forward by the Department of Justice. ProPublica stated, We have no comment on today’s announcement from the Department of Justice. As we’ve said previously, ProPublica doesn’t know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans.
Former President Trump has not addressed this development yet.
This charging of a former IRS employee with leaking tax returns of a high-ranking official raises questions about the security and confidentiality of sensitive taxpayer information. It remains to be seen how the legal proceedings will unfold and what impact they will have on the broader conversation regarding tax transparency and accountability.
