IRS Contractor Charged with Leaking Tax Data

Facts

• Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former contractor for the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), was charged Friday with leaking tax information about thousands of the country’s wealthiest people to news outlets.¹
• Littlejohn, who worked with the IRS until 2021, is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and information, including details related to former Pres. Donald Trump.²
• It’s unclear how a contractor had access to sensitive tax information, but the indictment said he was able to access it 'for purposes of tax administration' while working as a contractor to a consulting firm.³
• The media outlets – who were not identified in the indictment – have been widely reported as being The New York Times and ProPublica.⁴
• Littlejohn reportedly stole data from around 2018 to 2020, and his case has sparked questions about how the IRS and others can access private tax information. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) stated that the case shows that 'IRS guardrails failed to prevent this brazen breach of taxpayer rights.'⁵
• Littlejohn faces up to five years in prison if convicted, and he could be forced to forfeit 'all property' used while violating IRS laws.⁶

Sources: ¹PBS NewsHour, ²CBS, ³New York Times, ⁴NBC, ⁵Politico and ⁶Daily Wire.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Red State. It's important to identify this leaker, get to the bottom of his motivations, and prosecute him where appropriate. It's wildly inappropriate to have citizens’ private information — regardless of their wealth — shared with the media. And we really need to find out if he was politically motivated since Trump was involved. The White House's silence on the matter might say more than any statement.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Washington Post. If Littlejohn is guilty of being the leaker, he should face the consequences. But his punishment should be commensurate with the service he provided by exposing how little some of the wealthiest Americans — including Trump — pay in taxes, which contributes to the major income disparity that's plaguing the US. It's urgent to increase funding to the IRS to crack down on this issue as well.