House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) is requesting testimony from the former IRS contractor who leaked President Donald Trump’s tax returns and those of other billionaires to left-wing media outlets.
Jordan wrote a letter Monday to Charles Littlejohn’s attorney demanding his testimony after the IRS informed the Judiciary Committee that Littlejohn leaked the information of more than 400,000 taxpayers, a much higher figure than the 70,000 disclosed by the IRS last year after his guilty plea.
“Since then, the Committee has obtained information showing that the scope of the leak is much broader than the Biden-Harris Administration led the public to believe — affecting over 400,000 taxpayers,” Jordan wrote to attorney Lisa Manning, a partner at Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in white-collar defense.
“In light of this new information, Mr. Littlejohn’s testimony is critical to the Committee’s oversight efforts and advancement of potential legislative reforms. We therefore respectfully request his testimony,” he added. Jordan is seeking to confirm Littlejohn’s testimony before the Judiciary Committee by the end of March.
As an IRS contractor, Littlejohn used the agency’s archives to access and leak the tax returns of Trump, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other wealthy individuals to the New York Times and ProPublica, leading to more than 50 articles from the left-leaning publications.
He intentionally sought to become an IRS consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton to leak Trump’s tax returns in 2019 to further his political agenda. Littlejohn’s actions made him a hero among progressives who believe that billionaires should be paying higher tax rates. Critics accused Littlejohn of weaponizing the IRS and undermining its mandate by using it for partisan purposes.
Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison last January after entering a guilty plea with the Biden Justice Department for one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes gave Littlejohn the maximum sentence and voiced concerns about the Biden administration’s generous plea deal. During the criminal investigation into Littlejohn’s actions, the former contractor deleted evidence of his behavior to obstruct the case.
In May 2024, the Biden administration’s IRS said Littlejohn’s leaks affected more than 70,000 taxpayers and began notifying the victims. Last month, the IRS informed Jordan that Littlejohn’s actions affected 405,427 taxpayers, most of whom were business entities.
The IRS told Jordan that it’s still working to fully cooperate with his investigation into Littlejohn’s actions, which took place during President Trump’s first term. To assist the affected taxpayers, the IRS sent notification letters and created an email line for further inquiries. The agency also posted on its website information about Littlejohn’s leaks.
The Trump administration is currently pushing to gut the IRS workforce and slash the agency’s budget as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency works to streamline and digitize IRS operations. Democrats believe that the IRS cuts will severely limit its ability to target tax cheats and ensure that wealthy individuals pay what they owe. Republicans routinely cite data showing that IRS audits disproportionately target the working class and bring in much lower revenues than projected.