{"id":2066310,"date":"2023-10-13T13:12:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T17:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others\/"},"modified":"2023-10-13T13:16:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T17:16:10","slug":"irs-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS contractor admits to leaking Trump&#8217;s tax records and numerous others."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firs-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2066310&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A \u2062contractor for the Internal Revenue\u2062 Service (IRS) pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally disclosing \u2063the tax returns of former President\u200d Donald Trump\u200c and thousands of other \u2062prominent individuals&#8217;\u2062 tax \u2062records.<\/p>\n<p>Charles Littlejohn, a 38-year-old IRS consultant in \u2062Washington D.C., was charged by federal\u200b prosecutors last month with a single count of \u2063unauthorized disclosure of tax\u200c returns and return information. According to a DOJ press release, Littlejohn \u2064stole the tax information of a\u200b &#8220;high-ranking public official&#8221; and leaked \u200cit to &#8220;News Organization 1.&#8221; The &#8220;high-ranking&#8221; government official has been identified as Donald\u2064 Trump, whose tax returns \u200dwere \u200cleaked to The New York Times\u2064 weeks\u2062 before the 2020 \u200belection.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;By \u2063using his role as \u2062a government \u2064contractor to\u2062 gain access to private tax information, steal\u2062 that information, and disclose it publicly, Charles \u200dLittlejohn broke\u2062 federal \u200blaw\u2064 and betrayed the public&#8217;s trust,&#8221; Attorney \u2063General Merrick Garland said in a statement. &#8220;In every case, the \u200dDepartment\u200b of Justice\u200b is committed to following the \u2062facts wherever they lead\u200c and holding \u2063accountable \u2062those \u2063who violate our laws.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But true accountability would \u2063carry a higher penalty than\u200d a single charge \u2063in \u2063a \u200ccase where thousands of \u200ctax records were prominently released\u2064 to\u200b major news \u2063organizations. According to the\u2062 DOJ, Littlejohn &#8220;separately stole tax\u2064 return information \u200bfor thousands of the nation&#8217;s wealthiest individuals&#8221; \u2062and then &#8220;disclosed this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-reps-jordan-issa-demand-transparency-from-irs-over-partisan-leak-of-tax-records\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Reps. Jordan, Issa Demand Transparency From IRS Over \u2018Partisan\u2019 Leak Of Tax Records\">tax return information<\/a> to News Organization 2.&#8221;\u200b Fox\u2063 News identified News Organization 2 as the left-wing smear factory\u2063 ProPublica.<\/p>\n<p>In the summer\u200c of 2021, ProPublica published\u2063 &#8220;The \u2064Secret IRS \u200dFiles: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest\u2064 Avoid Income Tax.&#8221; Individuals whose tax records were released\u2064 include Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Michael Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;ProPublica has obtained a vast trove\u200d of Internal Revenue \u200dService\u2062 data on the\u200d tax returns \u200cof thousands of\u2062 the nation&#8217;s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years,&#8221;\u2063 the \u2063group reported. &#8220;The data provides an unprecedented look inside the financial \u2063lives of America&#8217;s \u200dtitans, including Warren\u2062 Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, and Mark Zuckerberg. It shows not just their \u2063income\u2064 and taxes, but also \u200btheir investments, \u200dstock\u200b trades, \u200bgambling winnings,\u200d and \u2063even the results of audits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/30\/irs-contractor-charged-with-single-criminal-count-for-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others\/Billionaires%20Jeff%20Bezos,%20Elon%20Musk,%20Mike%20Bloomberg%20Dodged%20Federal%20Income%20Taxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mike Bloomberg Dodged Federal Income \u2064Taxes<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The maximum penalty for Littlejohn&#8217;s crimes is five\u200c years in\u200b prison.\u200b Littlejohn will be \u200dsentenced on \u200dJan. 29, 2024, according to the\u2062 Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ indictment \u2064was\u200d served after \u2062two whistleblowers from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-trumps-tax-records-and-thousands-of-others\/\" title=\"IRS contractor admits to leaking Trump's tax records and numerous others.\">federal tax agency \u2062publicly accused<\/a> the Justice Department of attempting to hinder\u200b efforts\u200d to \u200binvestigate President Joe Biden&#8217;s family finances.\u2063 Whistleblowers say the DOJ thwarted investigative efforts, slow-walked\u200c cooperation with tax agents, and even concealed critical evidence implicating\u2063 Biden in\u2063 a \u2063criminal bribery scheme.\u200c According to veteran IRS agent Gary\u200b Shapley, the most significant felonies &#8220;were left off the table&#8221; when prosecutors unveiled \u2063their since-derailed plea agreement with Hunter Biden.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Tristan Justice\u200c is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social \u2064Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. \u2063He has \u2064also\u200b written \u2062for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work\u2062 has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and \u2064Fox \u2062News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University\u2062 where he \u200dmajored in political science \u2063and minored in journalism. Follow \u200dhim on \u200dTwitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. \u2062Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can\u2064 the IRS improve its security protocols to prevent unauthorized access to \u2062tax\u200b records in the future?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  IRS Contractor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Disclosing Tax Returns of Former President Donald Trump\u200d and Prominent Individuals<\/p>\n<p>In a shocking turn of events, \u200ca contractor working for the\u2064 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has pleaded guilty to illegally disclosing the tax returns of former President Donald Trump and\u2062 thousands of other prominent individuals. Charles Littlejohn, a\u200d 38-year-old IRS consultant based \u2062in\u2064 Washington D.C., was charged by federal prosecutors last \u200bmonth with a single count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information.<\/p>\n<p>According to the\u200d Department of Justice (DOJ), Littlejohn, in his position as a government contractor, gained \u2063access to private tax information and proceeded\u200c to steal and \u200dpublicly disclose it. The \u2064stolen tax information\u2064 of a &#8220;high-ranking public\u2064 official&#8221; was leaked to \u200d&#8221;News Organization 1,&#8221; which was later identified as The New York Times. This revelation occurred just weeks before the 2020 election, causing considerable controversy.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney \u200cGeneral Merrick Garland expressed \u200bhis outrage \u2063at Littlejohn&#8217;s actions, stating that he had broken \u200bfederal law and betrayed the public&#8217;s trust. Garland emphasized the commitment of the Department \u200bof Justice to investigate such \u2062cases thoroughly and hold accountable those who violate \u2062the law.<\/p>\n<p>However, the single charge against Littlejohn seems inadequate considering the gravity of \u2062the situation. The DOJ has revealed\u200c that\u2062 Littlejohn also separately stole tax return information for thousands of the nation&#8217;s wealthiest individuals and disclosed it to &#8220;News Organization\u2063 2,&#8221; identified as ProPublica. In a damning report titled &#8220;The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax,&#8221; ProPublica exposed \u200dthe tax records of prominent figures such as \u200bJeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Michael Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica&#8217;s report claimed to\u2063 have obtained an extensive collection of Internal Revenue Service data, covering\u2064 more than 15 years, on the tax returns of the nation&#8217;s wealthiest \u200bindividuals. It provided unprecedented insights into their financial lives, revealing not only their income and taxes\u200c but \u2063also their investments, stock trades,\u200b gambling winnings, and even audit results.<\/p>\n<p>The revelation of such sensitive information \u2063raises concerns about privacy and the \u200cabuse of power within the IRS. The fact that\u2062 Littlejohn was able to gain unauthorized access to tax records of thousands of individuals, including high-profile billionaires, speaks\u2064 to significant\u2062 lapses in the IRS&#8217;s security measures.<\/p>\n<p>To\u200c ensure true accountability, it is crucial that a more substantial penalty be imposed \u2063on Littlejohn in this case. Disclosing thousands of tax records\u2064 to major news organizations cannot be treated\u2062 as a minor offense. The breach of trust and invasion of privacy demand a more severe consequence to deter others\u200d from similar actions.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064IRS must also undertake\u2063 a comprehensive review of its security protocols to prevent similar breaches in the future. The leak of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-whistleblowers-lawyers-meet-with-congressional-investigators-over-hunter-biden-tax-probe\/\" title=\"Lawyers representing the IRS whistleblower meet with Congress investigators regarding Hunter Biden's tax investigation.\">sensitive tax information<\/a> not only undermines the public&#8217;s confidence in government\u200c institutions but also has the potential to cause irreparable harm to the affected individuals.<\/p>\n<p>The full extent of the damage caused by Littlejohn&#8217;s actions and the subsequent \u200dpublication of the \u200btax records remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this incident serves as a \u200dstark reminder of the importance of \u200dsafeguarding personal information and the dire\u2063 consequences that can arise when those entrusted with such data violate their responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>As the investigations and legal proceedings unfold, it is imperative that justice prevails, ensuring that\u2062 those responsible for such breaches are held fully accountable. The IRS must\u2064 take immediate steps to rectify the flaws in\u2064 its security systems and restore trust in its ability to protect the privacy of taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the illegal disclosure of tax returns, especially those of public\u200d figures and wealthy individuals, is a\u200c grave offense \u2062that warrants significant consequences. The guilty plea of \u200ban IRS \u2062contractor involved in such misconduct underscores the need for \u2063stricter measures to safeguard sensitive \u200binformation and preserve the integrity of our institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A contractor for the IRS admitted guilt for unlawfully revealing tax returns of ex-President Donald Trump and numerous high-profile individuals. Charles Littlejohn, a 38-year-old IRS consultant in Washington D.C., faced federal charges for unauthorized disclosure of tax records.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2066311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2066310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2066310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2066311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2066310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2066310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2066310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}