President Donald Trump and his sons are suing the US government. They say someone leaked their tax records and that federal agencies failed to secure them.
Trump and his sons filed the case in federal court in Miami. It seeks $10 billion (£7.25bn) in damages. The defendants are the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Treasury Department, which the lawsuit says were negligent in safeguarding sensitive financial records.
According to the filing, Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization say a former IRS contractor accessed and leaked their personal and business tax data. The lawsuit argues that federal agencies had a duty to protect taxpayer information. They claim the agencies failed to put proper safeguards in place.
The contractor, Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, was convicted of illegally obtaining and distributing tax records belonging to Trump and thousands of other high-income individuals. He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
Trump’s tax returns became a focus during his presidential campaign. Before the 2016 election, he declined to release them, citing an ongoing audit. He maintained the same stance ahead of the 2020 election.
In September 2020, weeks before the election, The New York Times published a report based on leaked tax records. It said Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in the year he won the presidency. The report also found that Trump paid no federal income tax in 10 of the previous 15 years. He later released his tax returns in 2022, two years after the leaks were first reported.
The lawsuit says the disclosures caused lasting harm. The family claims they damaged their reputation, affected their business interests, and caused personal embarrassment. The filing adds that the leaks presented a misleading picture of their finances.
Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 2023 to illegally accessing taxpayer information while working for the IRS. Court records show he admitted to taking sensitive, unmasked tax data and sharing it without authorization.
The lawsuit also alleges that Littlejohn misused his position to access and disclose the records. He was motivated by personal and political beliefs. In court documents, the Trump family says his actions broke federal law and violated basic rules protecting taxpayer privacy.
During testimony, Littlejohn said he leaked the records as a form of political expression, not to harm Trump directly. He described the former president as politically resilient.
In 2017, Trump stepped away from leadership roles in the Trump Organization and its affiliated companies. He stepped away from the role before starting his first term as president.
