Bryan Llenas reports the latest from Manchester, New Hampshire. Justice Department prosecutors have revealed shocking details about the man charged with leaking former President Trump’s tax returns. Charles Littlejohn, an IRS consultant, deliberately sought his position to gain access to private tax information and leak it to the media. Prosecutors argued that Littlejohn considered Trump to be a threat to democracy and wanted to expose him.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Littlejohn had previously worked for Booz Allen from 2008 to 2013. However, he rejoined the company as an IRS consultant in 2017, with the intention of obtaining confidential tax information. The Department of Justice alleges that Littlejohn “weaponized his access to unmasked taxpayer data to further his own personal political agenda, believing that he was above the law.”
The DOJ further revealed that Littlejohn had meticulously planned to secretly download Trump’s tax returns, as well as those of other wealthy individuals, by 2018. To avoid detection by IRS systems, he uploaded the stolen data to a private website he owned. He kept the information for six months before contacting the New York Times. Shockingly, one of the flash drives containing the tax returns was hidden inside a wooden leather box adorned with an ornamental camel.
The New York Times subsequently published several articles disclosing the contents of Trump’s tax returns, and Littlejohn also shared the returns of thousands of wealthy Americans with the organization ProPublica. This led to a series of articles detailing the tax information of prominent individuals such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, spanning 15 years.
Booz Allen, the company that employed Littlejohn, expressed their condemnation of his actions and stated their full support for the government’s investigation. However, Republicans on Capitol Hill expressed their dismay when Littlejohn was charged with only one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information, despite leaking the information of thousands of Americans. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, along with other Republicans, wrote a letter expressing their concerns about the Department of Justice’s decision.
Lawyers representing Trump have requested that Littlejohn receive the maximum sentence of five years in prison. This case has raised significant questions about the security of private tax information and the potential consequences of leaking such sensitive data.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Digital, covering national politics and major breaking news events. For tips, reach out to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders. Stay updated on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more political content by subscribing to this newsletter.
