Chairman Jordan Opens Inquiry into DOJ's Sweetheart Deal for Trump Tax Return Leaker

Letter

Dear Ms. Argentieri:
The Committee is conducting oversight of the Department of Justice’s enforcement of
federal law. Recently, the Department allowed a defendant, Charles Littlejohn, to plead guilty to
only one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information even though he admitted to leaking
“thousands of individuals’ and entities’ tax returns” to ProPublica and the New York Times. The
Department’s decision to pursue just one charge for “thousands” of separate criminal acts is
highly concerning, and we worry that the Department’s decision may be politically motivated.

The details of Mr. Littlejohn’s criminal activity are shocking. As the Department’s filings
state, Mr. Littlejohn applied to work at Booz Allen in 2017 with the intention of working as a
consultant to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to access and disclose then-President Donald
Trump’s tax returns. Mr. Littlejohn successfully did so and further leaked tax information
belonging to over 7,600 other Americans, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Senator Rick
Scott. As the Department stated:
The scope and scale of Defendant’s unlawful disclosures appear to
be unparalleled in the IRS’s history. There simply is no precedent
for a case involving the disclosure of tax return and return
information associated with ‘over a thousand’ individuals and
entities. . . . the human impact of Defendant’s crimes is enormous.
The Department nevertheless chose to charge Mr. Littlejohn with just one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information, resulting in a 5-year prison sentence, three years supervised release, and a $5,000 fine.During Mr. Littlejohn’s sentencing hearing, Judge Ana Reyes called Mr. Littlejohn’s disclosure of President Trump’s tax returns an “attack on our constitutional democracy.” She admonished the Department’s plea deal, saying, “The fact that he is facing one felony count, I have no words for.”

The Committee must understand the Department’s unusual and questionable leniency
towards Mr. Littlejohn. Accordingly, to inform our ongoing oversight of the Department, please
provide the following information:
1. All documents and communications between or among employees of the Department of
Justice referring or relating to the charging decisions in United States v. Charles E.
Littlejohn; and
2. All documents and communications between employees of the Department of Justice and
the Internal Revenue Service referring or relating to the charging decisions in United
States v. Charles E. Littlejohn.
The Committee is authorized to conduct oversight of the Justice Department pursuant to
Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives. Please provide this information as soon as
possible, but no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 22, 2024. In addition, please treat these
discovery obligations as ongoing and applicable to any information generated after receipt of this
letter. If you have questions about this matter, please contact Committee staff at (202) 225-6906.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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