Representative Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is increasing pressure on the Justice Department regarding its handling of a major breach of taxpayer confidentiality. In a recent letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Jordan requested more documents related to the case of Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor who admitted to leaking the tax returns of former President Donald Trump and thousands of other taxpayers to media outlets including ProPublica and the New York Times, as per the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary release.
Prosecutors described the leak as unprecedented in the history of the IRS. Littlejohn pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information and was sentenced to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine. During sentencing, the judge questioned why Littlejohn was charged with only one felony count, given the scale of the breach.
Jordan's letter raises concerns about the Justice Department’s decision-making in the case. An earlier request for documents from the Committee, dated February 8, 2024, was met with a response on March 18 that upheld the sentencing but did not provide further details.
IRS data shared with the Committee showed that over 405,000 taxpayers were affected, with 89 percent being business entities. Jordan emphasized the need to understand why Littlejohn was allowed to plead guilty to a single count despite the large number of individuals impacted.
The Judiciary Committee continues to investigate the case, seeking more information to evaluate how the Justice Department handled the breach and the plea agreement.
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