House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and fellow Republicans on the committee have called for maximum fines for those who leaked former President Donald Trump's taxes, Breitbart reported.・This was exclusively revealed by News.
Smith and House Republicans sent a letter to Judge Ana Reyes, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The letter (see below) was obtained by Breitbart News.
In a statement to Breitbart, the Ways and Means Commissioner said the maximum fine is just a step in the right direction.
“The indictment of Charles Edward Littlejohn, who illegally leaked President Trump's tax returns to ProPublica and the New York Times, does not mean that the sentence imposed in this case sends a strong message to other would-be criminals. Until then, nothing will stop future IRS leakers. Mr. Littlejohn has sought ties to the IRS with the aim of exposing Americans' personal information to further his own political objectives. “I hope the court will issue a decision that strongly indicates the seriousness of the consequences of this type of behavior,” Smith explained.
ProPublica Letter to Court Regarding Sentencing by Breitbart News On Scribd
In September 2020, President Trump's confidential tax information was leaked to the US government. new york times.
In September 2023, the Justice Department arrested Charles Littlejohn, who reportedly admitted in a plea deal to obstruction of justice by disclosing the private tax information of thousands of Americans to the media on two separate occasions. However, he was charged with one count of fraudulent disclosure of personal tax information.
Lawmakers say Charles Littlejohn's sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crimes and are concerned that the Justice Department has reduced the number of crimes.
But committees alone cannot achieve this. As courts know, some of the Section 3553(a) factors that courts must consider are the “necessity of the sentence imposed.” . .to reflect the seriousness of the crime; [and] To provide sufficient deterrence against criminal activity. ” 18 USC § 3553(a)(2). Those who, like Mr. Littlejohn, take the law into their own hands must know that they will be caught. and That they would face serious consequences. We are concerned that a sentence of only 8 to 14 months is disproportionate to the seriousness of the crime committed. And we are concerned that a sentence in that range may not provide the deterrent effect necessary to prevent such thefts and disclosures from happening again. Below are some reasons why this may be the case. [Emphasis added]
First, we are concerned about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to defend Mr. Littlejohn on one count of fraudulent disclosure of taxpayer information.[1] If the facts clearly justify additional claims. The plea to one count of fraudulent disclosure of taxpayer information, given that Mr. Littlejohn admitted not only to obstructing the Justice Department's investigation, but also to making multiple patently illegal disclosures of taxpayer information. At first glance, it seems that this alone is insufficient. Mr Littlejohn admitted to committing two crimes, according to a fact provider supporting the plea. another Activities related to misappropriation of taxpayer information: stealing and disclosing to the United States tax information of individuals associated with former President Donald J. Trump; ofnew york timesIt also steals personal tax information related to thousands of individuals and discloses this information to: propublica.[2] Mr. Littlejohn not only admitted to committing these two separate acts, but as part of his plea agreement, he also admitted to obstructing the Justice Department's investigation into the matter.[3] [Emphasis added]
“While we wish the prosecution had begged him for additional charges, it is still possible to impose a sentence greater than the expected eight to 14 month guideline range. In our view, Given the severity and surrounding circumstances, the upward variance is justified. We respectfully ask that Mr. Littlejohn be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison to deter similar conduct in the future.” Smith and the councilors concluded in their letter.
“While the Biden administration has shown little interest in this massive fraud, my colleagues and I on the Ways and Means Committee and in Congress are committed to ensuring that a similar breach never occurs again. We are committed to complying with the law. We must work to restore control, and sentencing Littlejohn to the maximum possible sentence is a step in the right direction,” Smith concluded in a statement to Breitbart News.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
