Former President Donald Trump has initiated a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department, seeking at least $10 billion in damages. The suit, filed in federal court in Florida, alleges that the federal agencies failed to protect his tax returns, which were reportedly leaked during his first term in office.
Trump, along with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has named the IRS and Treasury in their personal capacity rather than in an official presidential role. The lawsuit claims that Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, unlawfully accessed and disclosed Trump’s tax returns to media outlets, including the New York Times and ProPublica.
Littlejohn, who had been contracted through Booz Allen Hamilton, faced legal repercussions for disclosing confidential information, having been sentenced to five years in prison in 2024 for his actions that involved numerous high-profile individuals’ financial data alongside Trump’s.
Trump’s legal team contends that the IRS bears responsibility for Littlejohn’s unauthorized actions, due to his access to sensitive tax return information and the agency’s failure to address security concerns that had been previously raised. They stated, “The IRS wrongly allowed a rogue, politically-motivated employee to leak private and confidential information…to left-wing news outlets, which was then illegally released to millions of people.”
Furthermore, just prior to the lawsuit’s filing, the Treasury Department severed its ties with Booz Allen Hamilton, citing Littlejohn’s breaches as the catalyst for terminating $21 million worth of federal contracts. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted Booz Allen’s lack of adequate safeguards to protect sensitive data as a key issue behind the decision.
During Trump’s presidency, his reluctance to release his tax returns sparked criticism and controversy, marking a significant departure from the historical norm for presidential candidates. In a notable development in 2022, six years of his tax returns became public after a lengthy legal battle culminating in a Supreme Court ruling in favor of their disclosure.
This lawsuit underscores ongoing tensions surrounding privacy, accountability, and the handling of sensitive taxpayer information in the government, as Trump continues to seek accountability for what he perceives as breaches of trust and security.