Letter to the Hon. Merrick Garland, Attorney General of the United States - Republican Leaders Call for Swift Action on IRS Tax Leak of Americans' Sensitive Information

Letter

Dear Attorney General Garland:

We write to inquire into the Department of Justice's (DOJ) efforts to investigate a
massive leak of the sensitive tax information of thousands of Americans from the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). Leaks of tax information, particularly by government officials entrusted
with caring for that sensitive information, are completely unacceptable. Those responsible must
be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.

On June 8, 2021, ProPublica published an article relying on "a vast cache of IRS
information."1 In a gross breach of public trust, it appears someone illegally leaked this sensitive
and non-public information. The article contains details of federal tax filings going back more
than a decade, involving individuals from across the business and political spectrum, including
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Bloomberg, and
George Soros.2 In fact, ProPublica alleges it obtained data "on the tax returns of thousands of
the nation's wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years."3

Tax returns are filled with personal, private, and sensitive information including social
security numbers and intimate details of one's financial situation. As you are aware, federal law
requires that "[r]eturns and return information shall be confidential"4 except as otherwise
authorized by limited exceptions in federal law. "No officer or employee of the United States . . .
shall disclose any return or return information obtained by him in any manner in connection with
his service . . . ."5 Furthermore, it is a felony for a federal officer or employee to unlawfully
disclose tax return information.6 Given the nature of this data, it appears very likely that a
Federal officer or employee leaked that protected information to ProPublica.

Whether it is George Soros or Rupert Murdoch, every American should have confidence
that their personal tax information is secure and safe from privacy violations. Especially as the Biden Administration's proposed budget would vastly increase the size and staffing of the IRS,7
we are concerned about the potential for future leaks of sensitive tax information, particularly if
such leaks are politically motivated or targeted against those who may take unpopular positions.
Such leaks will continue to deteriorate the American people's trust in the IRS, and our federal
government.

To assist the Committees in conducting oversight over this egregious and potentially
criminal leak of personal tax information, we request a staff-level briefing no later than June 17,
2021 on efforts by the DOJ to investigate and bring those responsible to justice, as well as the
following:

1. All documents and communications regarding efforts to enforce federal tax
confidentiality law within the Department of Justice, particularly as those efforts
relate to preventing Internal Revenue Service officials from misusing their positions
to disclose confidential tax information; and

2. All documents and communications regarding efforts to investigate the leak of tax
records which form the basis of the ProPublica article referenced above, including
whether any criminal inquiry has been opened.

To make arrangements for the briefing, document delivery, or to ask any related followup questions, please contact Committee on Oversight and Reform Republican Staff at (202) 225-
5074.

The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S.
House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate "any matter" at "any time" under House Rule X. Thank you for your cooperation with this inquiry

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