Leaked Trump Returns: Guilty Plea Erodes Trust In IRS
In a blow to the ethical assurance of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former contractor, audaciously violated public trust and federally protected privacy, pleading guilty to the unauthorized disclosure of tax returns, particularly those of former President Donald Trump and numerous wealthy Americans. The illicit activity from 2018 to 2020 resonates with unsettling tones of intentional malfeasance and a breach of confidentiality.
The details disclosed in the investigation and court proceedings revealed that Littlejohn accessed, stole and disclosed tax information, actions explicitly prohibited under federal law and guidelines. This glaring mishandling of sensitive financial data compromises public trust and accentuates the necessity of rigorous scrutiny, control, and safeguarding of personal information housed within government databases.
According to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Littlejohn “betrayed the public’s trust” by stealing confidential information and utilizing his role as a government contractor to gain access to and disclose private tax information inappropriately.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri emphasized, “The unauthorized theft and disclosure of tax return information by government employees or contractors is a serious breach of the public’s trust.”
Moreover, this leak of tax return data was not isolated to President Trump. Littlejohn “separately stole tax return information for thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals,” expanding the scope of his transgressions vastly beyond a singular individual. Although the Justice Department did not name the two news organizations that received the tax information from Littlejohn, the descriptions provided align substantively with reports published by The New York Times and ProPublica, both of which produced articles revealing significant details about the tax returns of wealthy Americans, including Trump.
For context, in 2020, The New York Times reported on Trump’s tax returns, revealing he paid $750 in federal income tax the year he was inaugurated as president. Likewise, ProPublica shed light on the minimal tax burdens shouldered by the 25 wealthiest Americans in 2021. Neither organization has commented on the charges and both have withheld acknowledgement of their sources for the information they published.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes iterated the peril of such rogue activities by individuals, noting, “When we have people, for whatever reason, take the law into their own hands, society doesn’t function.”
As Littlejohn awaits his sentencing on January 29, 2024, with the possibility of a maximum sentence of five years in prison, the implications of his actions linger heavily within public discourse. It extends a discernible reminder of the critical importance of vigilance, transparency, and steadfast ethical practices within all governmental and journalistic arenas, ensuring the protection and preservation of private information to support public trust in America’s governmental institutions.
