House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has reached out to Attorney General Pam Bondi, seeking further information on the prosecution of Charles Littlejohn. Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, leaked tax returns belonging to President Trump and many others to media outlets ProPublica and the New York Times.
Prosecutors from the Biden-Harris Justice Department described Littlejohn's unauthorized disclosure as unparalleled in IRS history. However, they permitted him to plead guilty to just one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information. This resulted in a five-year prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine. The rationale behind allowing Littlejohn to plead guilty to only one felony count remains unclear.
In his letter, Chairman Jordan expressed concerns over the handling of the case: "The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing to investigate the unprecedented leak of protected taxpayer information by Charles E. Littlejohn." He noted that despite confessing to leaking numerous individuals' and entities' tax returns, Littlejohn faced only one charge.
Jordan highlighted that during sentencing, prosecutors stated that Littlejohn's actions affected approximately 18,000 individuals and 73,000 businesses. Yet he was allowed a plea deal involving only one felony count. A judge overseeing the sentencing expressed confusion over this lenient agreement: "The fact that [Mr. Littlejohn] is facing one felony count, I have no words for."
Previously in February 2024, the committee requested documents from the Biden-Harris Justice Department about their decision-making process regarding Littlejohn's charges but received limited substantive information in response.
Chairman Jordan emphasized that after President Trump took office, it was revealed that over 405,000 taxpayers were impacted by Littlejohn's leaks with a significant portion being business entities. Despite these revelations indicating extensive privacy violations affecting hundreds of thousands of American taxpayers, questions remain as to why only a single felony charge was pursued against him.
Read more details about this ongoing inquiry through Chairman Jordan’s full letter addressed to AG Bondi.
